Nobody Important:: The First Book
by Elixean
Summary: A newer Nobody, and a mysterious one at that, comes into existence in the most mysterious way possible; asking to be killed. So what becomes of a dying Nobody? Where do they go? This is the enjoyable saga of Elixean, all chapters wrapped into one!
1. Part One:: Crushing the Stone

**Nobody Important- Part One**

* * *

Again, one more Organization XIII member gone down. The final one in existence, or at least that Sora and his little friends know. Safe on their island, they've forgotten that darkness exists even in the lightest places. This, basically, means that, while they're entertained on their home, yet another enemy is rising. Not that the enemy wants to become and enemy, they just have a few... shall we say... "Problems." Irritating, competitive, and overall powerful, if she sets her mind to it. Of course, why would she kill them? She's occupied. Like I said, as always, things can never seem to go quite right. Especially for everyone's favorite little hero, Elixean. So, if you're asking "Does this have a purpose?" the answer is yes. It's another story where Axel and Elixean meet, but THIS one includes, like, EVERYONE else.

Elixean was sitting quietly on the shore of Destiny Islands, keeping a very lazy watch to make sure that Sora and his buddies weren't coming her way. As far as she knew, they were all over at the other side. But she really didn't care where they were. She always came here, and if they wanted to make her move, she'd kick them around some, then sit right back down. She held a small marble-like item between her fingers, staring into it intently. It appeared that there was a dark yet somehow colorful expanse of land... Or air... or whatever you'd use to describe it. A small wisp of shadow faded away, the last remnants of Elixean's dear Axel. The scene, the whole scene of Axel's final battle, played repeatedly.

Finally she squeezed her fist tightly, crushing the marble and standing up. There WAS something she could do, if she tried. She'd go where all Nobodies went when they died. But the only question was... how would she get there? Would she have to kill herself or could she teleport there? She laughed aloud, shaking her head. She didn't have the slightest idea how to get to it. She'd have to die. She'd always wondered what it felt like anyways.

For a moment she thought quietly, wondering how overly dramatic she could make her entrance and introduction to Sora. Of course, she didn't have to be his enemy. She could just _ask_ him to kill her. But it would almost seem suicidal. And she wondered if she'd end up with the same fate as the others, trapped inside and never able to return. But at least she'd still be with Axel. She could handle the others.

She simply summoned up a portal and walked through nonchalantly, to the other shore. Sure enough, there were Kairi, Sora and Riku, sitting and laughing by the ocean. She cleared her throat and Riku and Sora hopped up, looking very startled and confused. Whatever. She'd just look cute and get it over with.

She kind of paused to examine the two, then looked to Kairi, who locked eyes with her. Instantly Kairi seemed to relax, sensing that the hooded figure would prove to be no threat. Kairi stood and faced Elixean as well, but much less sternly then the boys.

Sora and Riku looked irritated as though they had been speaking to her when she'd been focusing on Kairi's peculiar and somewhat chilling calmness. Elixean blinked. "Hm? I'm sorry. I was totally unprepared for this." Riku and Sora kind of stammered, shooting the other a quick glance. Finally, Sora spoke.

"What do you want? I thought we got rid of the Organization!" He looked very frustrated as Elixean laughed.

"You think I'm with _them_ because of _this_?" She tugged on the side of her robe, doing a slight curtsy. "Not a chance. It's comfortable. Plus... I'm only here to get to where they are."

"So you came to be killed...?" asked Riku and Kairi together. Elixean grinned, holding her arms wide open.

"Go on, I can handle it. How bad can dying be? I wouldn't know, because I haven't died yet. I'll never be able to say that ever again, if you do what I say, otherwise I'll force you." Actually, she knew perfectly well that if she tried to force them to kill her they wouldn't, so she'd ask Kairi if they said no.

Before she'd completely returned her thoughts to the present, she was flung backwards abruptly, a sharp pain piercing her heart, or, at least, where it would be, if she had one. Yet she felt more alive then ever.

She stood, removing her hood so she could see better. She always thought they were stupid, blinding the wearer. Her long blond hair flipped and fluttered in the fresh air, and she sighed, shaking her head. She looked at Riku who lowered his own little sword, and then to Sora who leaned on his Keyblade, looking bored. She smirked.

"You want to try?" He blinked and sat up straighter, staring her in the eyes. Then he lifted his Keyblade over his shoulder.

"You sure?" Elixean nodded, and Sora kind of laughed. "We could make it a bit more fun. You could actually fight, then I wouldn't feel so bad about this." Elixean shrugged, lowering her gaze. A whirlwind of shadow went up around her hands, and several small discs of pulsing light flashed into existence between each finger. She lifted her arms in front of her, forming a defensive "x" across her chest, looking up and grinning, pillars of the four seasons twirling around her.

"Ok, but just remember you asked to go at it this way," she muttered, jumping at Sora and forcing him to slash his Keyblade in every direction to fight her rapid attacks. Finally she backed off to let him catch his breath. Riku sat on the sideline looking twice as bored as Sora had. "You can join in, you know, and you too, Kairi."

They both brightened up and took their swords, jumping at her and slashing fiercely, forcing her to fight much harder than she'd intended. She was so kind... and stupid. In only about three dodges and attacks she was exhausted. She'd heard you could use your whole being to die, as Axel had, but she figured she'd kill them if she tried. She'd have to go the old fashioned way.

She whirled around, knocking the three children back. She panted, but still looked friendly. "C'mon, you guys, I expected more. If you can take down a whole Organization, you can take _me _down, can't you?"

Instantly she was thrown forward as Riku came from behind, shoving her hard. Sora slashed upward, shooting Elixean up, and Kairi slashed down, pinning Elixean to the floor. She panted and gasped. "This is fun. We ought to hurry this up, however." Next thing she knew the three had all stabbed into her. She growled.

"I wish I knew dying were this... _painful..." _she snarled, closing her eyes. Finally, the feeling went away. She could see and hear and speak, but she was fading. And about time too. She was tired of fighting them. Being triple teamed could be quite painful. Kairi and Sora looked a little sorry and regretful, but of course, Riku looked absolutely emotionless. "Hey, sorry you had to do this so roughly... You don't even know my name."

"What _is_ your name?" asked Kairi, blinking her bright blue eyes. She noticed that Elixean was almost gone by now, but Elixean smiled kindly at her and Sora, who also seemed curious.

"I don't know if it'll matter later... but... my name's Elixean..." Then she disappeared from the beach with Kairi and Sora looking at each other curiously.

"Why do you think she was here? Why did she seem so eager to die?" asked Kairi. Sora shrugged, and Riku spoke.

"She might've been looking for a way to get to the others to plot against us," he muttered darkly, and Sora seemed somewhat agreeable, but Kairi automatically argued.

"I think she was looking for a specific one of them. Sorry if this sounds a little weird, but... Maybe she's in love with one?" she suggested. But the boys disagreed, still clinging to the thought that Nobodies had no hearts. But, some are different than others... _We _know, don't we?

Elixean's trip to the world where the others were didn't take long. In fact, it seemed that only a second after she'd teleported out she was awakened by someone gently shaking her shoulder. She sat up, blinking. It was dark. Funny, why was it dark? It felt warm. Like... Like the sun was shining. She rubbed her eyes again, wondering why she could see nothing. A hand was on her head, and she heard a very girlish voice.

"It... it's another _girl_." The voice seemed jealous, and she automatically guessed that it might be Larxene, the only female of Organization XIII. "But we have no more members able to be killed! She's an imposter! We should kill her!" The hand abruptly left her head and it felt like electricity was crackling in the air. She covered her head with her arms, and she heard another voice... _Axel!!_

"Hold on, Larxene..."

"Don't tell me what to do, traitor!!!" she interrupted fiercely. Elixean looked around, trying to see faces... Anything. But she couldn't. A few gasps in the group showed that they figured out what was troubling the newcomer.

"She's blind!"

"Why's that?"

"She'll be no use getting us out now!"

"We should kill her!!"

But a very superior voice rose above the rest, silencing them all. "She will remain alive!" Elixean recognized Xemnas, the Organization's leader. "And none of you will harm her! Axel, take care of her."

A hand grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly to her feet, and she was shoved over to someone else, who caught her gently, holding her arms to steady her, feeling tense and very alert. A few snickers came their way, and Elixean was lead away from the group quite a ways. Then she sat down on what seemed to be a cushion.

Before any questions could be asked, Elixean asked quietly, "Where are we? Why can't I see?"

She had guessed she was with Axel now, in some sort of room, because it felt less open than where she'd woken. She rubbed her eyes again, realizing suddenly she was crying. Why? She didn't know. Was it because she couldn't handle being unable to see who she'd come to get? For a few moments there was silence, and finally Axel spoke.

"We don't know where we are. Xemnas called it prison for Nobodies, but I think it's because he couldn't think of a better name. Not that any of us can, because it's too hard to describe. It's basically just like Castle Oblivion, except the fact that we can't teleport or use our weapons. We're all stuck on this one floor. But, luckily, we all have our own rooms. Except for you, now. Who exactly are you?"

Elixean sighed irritably. "You didn't answer my second question. Why am I blind?"

Axel's aura seemed to change from concerned to a little uneasy, and Elixean bowed her head, tears still dripping, trying to seem a bit more... relaxed. But anyone could tell she wasn't. "I don't know. Lexaeus can't talk, which isn't much of a change, but now, even if he wanted to, he can't. I don't know why you're blind. I just hope it goes away by tomorrow."

Elixean looked around dumbly. She knew that she couldn't see her surroundings, but still she looked. "So I imagine this is just like any other Oblivion room?"

"Yes. Except this one's mine and only I can come in, unless I give permission to someone to come in with me." Elixean nodded. She looked up to where she expected his face would be, and for a moment, she swore she could see his face. But it was only memory.

"So... where am I going to sleep?" she asked. She sensed movement and could tell Axel had shrugged slightly.

"I don't know. We'll ask Xemnas. What's your name?"

"Elixean. I can control the seasons." She kind of smiled, but she realized she was still crying. She wiped her eyes again with her sleeve, and suddenly she felt Axel embracing her kindly. She leaned on him, remaining absolutely silent. She needed someone to comfort her.

"Sorry you're stuck here with us in this condition. I'll try to keep the others out of your hair," he murmured in her ear, still holding her tightly. After a few more moments they both sat up, letting go almost hesitantly. "We ought to go talk to Xemnas now. He's probably at council with the rest. There's one shadow portal here; it leads to the meeting room. We could head there now." She nodded and he helped her to her feet, steadying her and keeping hold of her arm to lead her. She felt the sensation of going through a portal, and next thing she knew she was in what seemed to be a very large room. She guessed it was the meeting hall.

She heard voices, loudest was Larxene's, arguing that Elixean should be disposed of, while everyone else (except Lexaeus of course) argued for her to stay. Then the room grew silent as they noticed the approach of Elixean. She could tell Axel was a little wary; chances are, Larxene was glaring at them. Axel let go of her arm, and she sat down on the floor, listening to the quiet _pitpatpitpat_ of footsteps across the floor. Then Axel was up in his chair, and Elixean was left in the middle of the room by the portal.

"Now that Axel has arrived with the newcomer, we must discuss her fate." Most members had already decided that she should stay. But quite a few seemed unspoken, or deciding they should kill her. "Axel, tell us what you know of her."

Everyone seemed intent and eager to listen. Elixean just sat silently, her head bowed, acting as if she wasn't there. "Her name is Elixean. It's true, she's not one of us, but she's blind, and she can't defend herself. Even you, Larxene, wouldn't be as cruel as to harm a defenseless girl." Both Elixean and Larxene were offended. _GIRL???_ thought Elixean, looking up to where, once again, she could've sworn she saw Axel's face. She sensed that he'd noticed her irritability, but he had Larxene to contend with.

"ME? You want me to be _kind_ to this girl? Look at her! She looks more like a wimp than Demyx!" Demyx growled, but a quick glare from Larxene silenced him. "Anyways, she's blind. What help could she possibly be? She'll just ruin our chance of escape! She'll have us all waste our time on her!"

Axel said sternly, "She won't. She seems able to handle herself. She can control the seasons, as well. It seems to me as though she was created like we were. Otherwise she couldn't be here. Right, Xemnas?"

Xemnas agreed quietly, and Saïx added, "She has as much right to be here as any of us, I suppose. Plus, she IS blind..."

Larxene sighed irritably. "She's a loser. She's blind. She controls seasons. What can a little girl like her do? I bet a Dusk could defeat her!"

Elixean stood, glaring up in the direction she'd heard the voice from. "_Excuse me?!?!_" she snarled, her misted dark-blue eyes glittering. "Come here, pissy missy! I'll show you what I can do!"

A portal sounded beside her and burly arms restrained her, while screeches and wails from Larxene showed she was being held back as well. Elixean writhed and strained, but finally she knew she wouldn't get free. Although she could hear that Larxene was still fighting. The arms crushed her quickly, giving Elixean a very rough and painful warning, and then they let go, letting her drop to the floor. But the man was still behind her. Elixean sat up, her eyes shut, her hands folding in her lap. Her ribs were in pain. Suddenly she was grabbed up by those same arms as an electric wave shot at her from Larxene's direction. The blond was leaping from the chair, screeching her head off. Elixean was tossed aside as another battle took place between the burly man who'd first grabbed her and a very angry Larxene.

Suddenly a large shock went into Elixean and she cried out in pain. Then Larxene had jumped on top of her, clawing at her face. Elixean got her arms free and shielded her face, kicking her legs up at Larxene and shoving her off. Elixean leapt to her feet, a whirlwind of the seasons spinning around her. She didn't want to attack. She was still hurting. It was defense. Suddenly Elixean swayed. Larxene's power was stronger than hers. Elixean fell to her knees again, the whirlwind fizzling away. Then Larxene had lunged again. And Elixean realized that no one was coming to her defense. Elixean felt very powerless, and that scared her. She screamed, and suddenly Larxene was thrown of, hitting the wall with a loud _thwack_!!! But after that, whatever had happened, Elixean couldn't move. She seemed frozen in place. She had no power to even lift a finger. She lay, practically paralyzed, on her back, her eyes closed.

Then she heard a fizzle beside her, and she heard more footsteps approach her. Everyone had left their seats to examine her. Two ran up to her and knelt by her side.

"You ok?" said one. Demyx. Elixean said nothing, just kept panting heavily. She could sense Axel was beside her too, but she had no strength to even say she was alright. Arms slipped under her and lifted her from the floor, carrying her out of the portal without a word.

By then Elixean had passed out completely, unaware of anything that happened around her. She had no dreams for what seemed like years. And after a while, she finally awoke. And she was relieved; her sight was back. And Axel was sitting in the corner of the room, his head tilted back against the wall, eyes closed, as though he were sleeping.

She stood up and left the room, being especially careful so as not to wake him up. No one was in the main room, which she could tell truly was like Castle Oblivion. Then she looked to the portal and stepped through it, remembering the dark passageway from before. When she arrived, the other eleven members were seated, discussing her still. The last comment she heard before they noticed her was from Xigbar.

"She could very well be the replacement for Roxas, after he became whole again..." All eyes were upon her, including the raging eyes of Larxene. Elixean locked eyes, and Larxene was taken aback by the vicious glitter in them. Elixean whipped her head to Xemnas.

"If you'll allow me to speak on my own behalf..." She leapt up into Axel's chair, then leapt again to sit on the very top of it. "I can see now, anyways. So you should find I'll be a much harder opponent if you should decide to fight me again. But I hope not. Anyhow, I can defend myself just fine, and if it's out you wish to get, then I'll assist you with it, although I'm certain "Roxas," Riku and Kairi wouldn't be too pleased with me. I'll be happy to help."

Xemnas and Saïx looked rather pleased, along with everyone except Larxene. But she said nothing, instead holding a large bandage on her arm where clearly Elixean's sudden attack had left some hefty damage. She caught Marluxia's eyes, and he winked, so Elixean turned her head quick. Even here, Marluxia was a complete idiot. She could see everyone clearly, and remembered everyone's names. Vexen was seated below her, looking up somewhat admirably at her. Again she turned away.

"We'll be grateful for your cooperation, Elixean," said Xaldin. Everyone agreed, even Larxene, though she looked regretful. Then Elixean sort of frowned.

"Xemnas, where will I be staying?" She glared at him for a moment as he chuckled softly. But he was instantly silenced as he realized she was serious.

"Were you not content rooming with Axel?" he asked, smiling slightly. A few sniggering jests came her way, and she stood with excellent balance atop the chair.

"QUIET!!!" she howled. The room shook, and everyone instantly silenced themselves, even Larxene, who appeared shocked by her fierce voice. Elixean tucked a hair behind her ear, sitting down again, glaring at each and every one of them. The question had caught her off guard, and her ferocity had only been reaction to their blunt intention. "I never said it was a bad thing..." She said quietly, glaring at them before they could speak. "But I'm a girl... he's a guy. I think I'd be a little more peaceful with my own room."

Xemnas sighed. "There are no more rooms. Are you sure you need one?" Elixean lowered her gaze, and Xemnas just left it at that. "You are Elixean, Number Fourteen of our Organization."

Demyx smiled slightly. "We're Organization Thirteen, but she's number fourteen? How does that work?"

Xemnas glared at him and Demyx ducked his head, looking like an innocent pup. A silent message passed between the entire Organization. Then Xemnas looked back to Elixean. "You'll just replace Roxas. You can be Number Thirteen." Elixean smiled, curtsied, and teleported back to the ground, through the portal and back to the main hall. Just as she got through the portal, she nearly crashed into Axel, who jumped back, startled. Elixean smiled. "Hiya."

He grinned as well. "Hey. Are the others in there?"

"Yes. And they discussed my future. Guess what?"

"Hm?" He blinked his bright green eyes.

"I'm going to live to help you guys out of this place," she said, smiling. "Oh, _and_ I can see now."

Suddenly Axel stepped forward and hugged Elixean so tightly she could've sworn he was trying to kill her. "I have a feeling you're going to be pretty important to the Organization's fate," Axel quietly stated in her ear, and her face felt red hot. He let go and walked through the portal, leaving Elixean out alone in the hall. She blinked, feeling a very strange twisting in her gut. Could she really be that important to Organization XIII?

She shook the feeling and headed back to the room, where Axel had left the door slightly open. She entered the room and shut the door to shut out the sounds of anyone else, so she could concentrate. She sat down on the cushioned floor and leaned back against the wall, but as she did so, she got the feeling like she was falling, and she nearly had a heart attack when she looked up to see sunlight, not the big white ceiling that had haunted her thoughts since she went to the Castle Oblivion look-alike. She felt soft sand underneath her and felt clear, cool air around her. She was on Destiny Islands! But how? She blinked and the image faded away, and she found herself looking up at that ceiling once more.

She sat up, blinking again. The image slipped away quickly, and she was left without the soft sound of the waves, stuck back in the chilling silence. She wondered why she'd felt that, and she pressed her hands against the wall. It felt different than the rest of the Castle did. It was somehow... Less.... Stable. It seemed to rapidly change, as though it were a dimension to a random world. She tried to go through it again, but apparently it had lost its odd power. She glared at the floor, feeling more determined than ever to get free of the prison.

She stood finally and left the room, pacing quietly through the hall. Back and forth, back and forth; it was very depressing to see a lively being such as herself looking as troubled as she did. She moved so quickly and tirelessly that she must've been going on like that for about an hour until finally she heard the portal fizzle, and she looked over to see the members returning to their rooms. Axel, Demyx and Marluxia all three approached her, and Demyx was the first to notice her uncharacteristic disposition, not that he'd word it like that.

"Something wrong, Elixean?" he asked, gazing quietly into her deep blue eyes. She said nothing, but looked at Axel, who also seemed curious. He spoke then.

"If you're unhappy about being trapped in here, remember that most of us have been trapped here for longer than you." Elixean shot him a fierce glare, feeling as though he'd intentionally tried to hurt her feelings. But Marluxia defended Elixean, for whatever reason.

"Someone like Elixean would find it hard to be cooped up in a place like this. Remember that she's free from any responsibilities. There is no Organization to hold her back where she came from. She is under order and captivity here," Marluxia pointed out, and Axel agreed quietly.

"Thank you, Marluxia," said Elixean, still giving Axel a hard stare. Axel's face was red and he appeared very guilty, and Elixean felt absolutely no remorse. "That's not all that's bugging me... Since I left the meeting room and went into the room I'm staying in, I've felt more determined we'll be free eventually. I leaned against a wall and I found myself lying on the beach, Roxas' home, and I heard the waves and felt the fresh air. But when I blinked I was back in the room."

"Peculiar..." muttered Marluxia.

"We ought to ask Vexen if he knows anything about it," suggested Demyx, and Elixean agreed, heading towards the odd chemist's room. Without knocking, she barged in.

"Hey, Vexen, I came to..."

Vexen whipped around. "To help me plot against Xemmy?"

Elixean had no idea who "Xemmy" was, but as she heard the name she couldn't help but laugh. "Who's Xemmy?"

Now Vexen looked a little embarrassed. "Um... It's Xemnas' nickname. Did you know if you rearrange the letters in his name it becomes--"

Axel smacked Vexen in the back of his head roughly, interrupting, "Something inappropriate that Lexaeus should've never figured out. Don't think about it too hard." Vexen gave Axel a scornful stare; everyone knew Axel had killed Vexen under Marluxia's order. And Vexen oftentimes held it against him. "Anyways, that's not what she came to talk to you about. It's more important than what happened in there..."

"What happened?" asked Elixean, her eyes wide.

Vexen smirked at Axel and explained. "He said that since I'm the oldest I should give my room to you since I'll die in a few minutes anyways. But I'm not _that_ old, am I Elixean?" Elixean shook her head, though her mind said otherwise. "Anyways, what was it you wanted to ask me?"

So Elixean explained what had happened, and everyone discussed it. Marluxia and Demyx thought it might've been an illusion caused by being cooped up too long. Axel didn't say much about it except it had to have some relevance to their escape, and Vexen thought it was a way out.

"It must be a weak point in this prison. Whenever you lean against the weak point, you can break through." Marluxia and Demyx, and Axel, said they'd never felt what Elixean described, so they guessed that something about Elixean must allow her to feel it. "She does become blind occasionally. That could help her feel what we can't." After quite a long debate, finally they agreed with Vexen; Elixean was their way out.

Elixean was feeling determined and energized, and clearly everyone else felt invigorated as well. Elixean began to speak excitedly. "When we get back to the real world we'll have to have our skills in tip-top shape. What do you guys say to training? We could have some fun and get our skills up."

There was instant agreement, and it was decided that they'd meet in the meeting room to fight with more room, and invite the other members to watch. In only about five minutes, they were all set up. The first battle was between Elixean and Demyx. No one forgot that weapons couldn't be used, and Demyx was at a disadvantage because of it. Elixean, however, could handle fine without. Their battle went quickly, and of course, Elixean was the victor.

She signaled to Zexion to begin the round, and he looked at the two, then wailed at the top of his voice, "GO!!!" This was quite unlike him. First, Elixean had jumped at Demyx, whacking him lightly on the head, and he'd dodged a second blow to his shoulder. He poked her ribs with his finger, tickling her, and so she whacked him right in the face to knock it off. That same style of "battle" went on for a few minutes, and Elixean got bored. Finally, in a very quick and hard to follow move, she had Demyx pinned on the floor. He grinned, knowing that he'd been beaten with barely a fight, and Elixean helped him to his feet. The next battle was with Axel and Vexen, and the fight was pretty boring. Fire here, ice there, then all of a sudden--- WHAM!!! Vexen was down, and Axel hid his clenched fist behind his back, grinning at Elixean.

What had happened was that Vexen had called Axel a very crude and non-repeatable name, and Axel had decked him. Elixean thought it was quite funny, but Vexen was in a pretty sour mood the rest of the day, especially in the fight to Demyx... He lost. It was a pretty fair fight between them, since they both had water-based powers. But Demyx's little water clones had Vexen quite distracted while Demyx got behind Vexen and wrapped his arm around his neck, giving the Chilly Academic a noogie then knocking him to the floor to the mercy of the dog-piling clones. On the ground, Vexen froze the clones, but realized he'd pinned himself to the floor.

Everyone laughed and laughed, and Demyx's usual title "wimp" was given to Vexen, but only for the day. Vexen hoped that they would all be killed. The next battle was between Elixean and Marluxia, and she felt uneasy. Marluxia tended to be a little rough.

"You sure you want to fight?" A whirlwind of rose petals fluttered around him, and Elixean nodded. "Fine."

Elixean tried jumping at him like she'd done with Demyx, but the whirlwind picked up speed and knocked her back again. She figured that if she could break through the barrier then she could attack Marluxia. A winter blast could do it. She made a well aimed blow and scattered the petals, causing them to whither, and she lunged at Marluxia from behind, landing squarely on his shoulders. She shoved his head into the ground, muffling his pained shouts. But suddenly he jumped up, sending Elixean flying backwards, landing with a thud on her back. Marluxia then came and sat on her, uncomfortably close to her face.

"I'll be glad to finish this fight quickly," murmured Marluxia. Suddenly he was sent flying as Elixean used yet another one of her feared attacks. He was caught in a flurry of petals, but he was still badly scratched. What was it that Elixean's attack could do? Marluxia was infuriated. He lunged at Elixean, aiming fierce blows at her, his flowers rushing everywhere. Then Elixean was pressed against the wall of the Meeting Room. Even this place was too small! She attempted to dash beside him, but he grabbed her and swung her back to the wall. Suddenly, thick vines covered in thorns erupted from the wall, pulling Elixean into it, trapping her completely and digging into her skin. She winced.

"Like I said... You could give up." Elixean struggled and fought until finally fury just spilled out. Yet again the attack came, but this time it just exhausted her. She dropped her head, blinking away tears of exhaustion. She felt desperate; she needed to get out. She pushed hard against the wall, ignoring the fiery pain of the thorns. She was breaking free, but it took a tremendous amount of energy, and Marluxia continued to regenerate the bindings. With one last desperate effort, she pushed off, releasing an attack larger than most others. She broke free and collapsed on the floor. Marluxia walked up, kneeling down. "The battle isn't done yet."

Elixean was panting, and Marluxia stood, preparing to use the attack again, to trap her against the floor. Elixean fought to stand, ignoring her own pain. But Marluxia's attack came too quick. She was pulled to the floor again. She struggled violently. Desperation powered every movement she made; even breathing seemed too difficult without adrenaline. Finally she completely gave up trying and summoned up as much power of winter as she could. The thorns peeled back and she hopped to her feet, slamming Marluxia down to the ground and pinning him with stunning speed and power. Marluxia, still fresh with power, struggled to get up, but Elixean had a strange and successful way to pin him.

"Nice move... Never saw it coming." Marluxia seceded from the battle and Elixean won, but after her display of fight, she needed a long break. During that time everyone congratulated her, as did Marluxia, who never would've thought that someone with her scrawny body and feather-like weight could possibly pin him. She nearly fell asleep when Zexion walked up.

"It's time for the final battle with Axel..." he muttered, going back to his seat as judge. Elixean stood, stretching her sore and stiff muscles, and froze suddenly as it occurred to her who she was fighting.

She got out from behind the chair and walked into the actual fighting zone where Axel was waiting, whispering quietly to Marluxia. Then Axel noticed her and examined her closely. It happened that one of Marluxia's thorn vines had done some pretty bad damage to Elixean's spine; there was a large bleeding cut in her mid-back, but Elixean didn't know it. She was cut very badly on her face as well, and she looked pretty badly damaged. But still she walked with that same cocky bounce in her step, that glitter in her eyes.

She stood directly across from Axel, who gave her a concerned glance. "Are you sure you want to fight after that...?"

Elixean growled. "I'm not afraid."

Zexion then shouted suddenly, "GO!!!" Elixean lost her strength all in one moment; Axel ran up to her, ducked to the side in a shockingly sudden move, and grabbed her arms, twisting them behind her back and holding them. Then he swept her legs out from beneath her and pinned her to the floor. Overall, Axel did all the work and Elixean did all the falling. He was careful not to irritate the wound in her back anymore than it was.

No one seemed entertained with the battle; after all, only one person fought. Elixean was just down in an instant.

Axel helped her to her feet and led her to their room. Almost as soon as she lay down she was asleep. She tossed and turned during the night as her wounds began to heal, some of them not very neatly, like the wound on her back. Multiple times during the night she'd awoken to the feeling of blood trickling from her spine. But by the morning it'd healed. When she woke, she was stiff and sore, and her throat was dry and painful. She went to the meeting hall drowsily, and as soon as she entered it she nearly collapsed. The members looked worried, and Xemnas commanded her to go rest for as long as she needed. So she lazily trekked back, falling asleep instantly.

This time when she dreamed, she dreamt of being back on the island. But something seemed different. She didn't feel like Elixean... she felt like her original self, Elaine, on her own little journey, to where she became the Nobody. Elixean couldn't wake up; she hadn't seen much of being a somebody since she became a Nobody. Elaine's story was short and simple; her own little home was taken over by the darkness, and she was killed. Her Heartless practically committed suicide, running right into Sora on his early adventure, but her Nobody remained hidden. She had begun quiet, but after discovering her power, she went back to her usual self, competitive and annoying.

After the dream had ended, she awoke, still feeling stiff and exhausted of power. She went to the meeting hall, but no one appeared to be there. She went to the center of the meeting room and sat on the floor, her eyes blinking, trying to keep herself awake. But again she fell asleep, the same dream occurring in her mind. She woke back in Axel's room, feeling a bit better. Her wounds had all been bandaged, and she had a new robe folded up at the foot of her bed. She quickly changed and went to the meeting hall, to where Axel and Larxene were having their own face-off. It was a competition like Elixean, Marluxia, Demyx and Axel had. Eventually Axel won, but he didn't even notice Elixean till she left, back to the room, sitting on the bed quietly.

Everything she saw changed, and she found herself back on the island, staring at the ocean's waves. Why was she always at Destiny Islands? The sun reflected off of the waves into her eyes, but she found reassurance in the rays. She would get out, and when she did, she'd finally be free to return to the beach, free from the Organization, back to her memories.

------_**tO bE cONTINUED**_...------


	2. Part Two:: Set and Match

Nobody Important- Part Two

So last we checked, Elixean had made it to the world with her powers still at max, but her sight was gone. After an invigorating discussion over her fate, and a rather rough, short battle with Larxene, her sight returned and she was accepted as Elixean, Number Thirteen, and Roxas' replacement. She didn't mind being a replacement. During those few months, Elixean had more and more visions of being free of the Castle. The groups had more battles and fought constantly tougher, and they all regained their strength; even Elixean, who had received a nasty wound from battling Marluxia. All that mattered now was getting out, and taking the rest of the Organization with her. Because they've been trapped for about four months now, and Elixean's sight came and went as it pleased, for whatever reason. Vexen tried to figure it out, but Elixean ended up putting him in a headlock and smacking his head into a wall. Anyways, she's been rooming with Axel this whole time because the Castle Oblivion look-alike has no more rooms. And they both stick up for each other.

Elixean woke suddenly as a hand shook her shoulder. She realized today was one of those days when she couldn't see. She sat up slowly, blinking. A hand grabbed hers and helped her to her feet, leading her out the door without a word. She guessed they were going to the meeting hall. And her guess was right. She felt herself being lead through a passageway and into the wide room, and she sensed the others seated around her. She sat quietly by the portal while Axel went to his seat.

"Thank you for finally joining us, Elixean and Axel." A few quiet laughs came out, and Elixean's temper flared. She wished people would stop _assuming_ things. She used her power to make a large, sudden pillar of icy wind that warned everyone to shut up before she sent the pillar after them. And they did so. Xemnas cleared his throat before speaking again. "We've been here for about five months, or at least, I have been. Vexen's been here for much longer. Anyways, we need to find a way out. Elixean was accepted because we believe she can help. And, Elixean, if you can help, you better get on it, because your trustworthiness is trickling away quickly."

Elixean stood, folding her arms crossly. "What can I try that you haven't already, Xemnas? Last month everyone used their powers to try to break the hold of the prison and we could do nothing for quite a few weeks. I think that was the best bet we had..."

Larxene laughed. "Not that _your_ power helped much." Elixean ignored her, sitting down again. Axel spoke.

"She has been staying up late thinking," he pointed out. Then he smiled. "I'd know, because she keeps me up with her frustrated sighing." Everyone laughed, including Elixean. Then he continued, "And I'm pretty sure she's been onto something. If this place is basically nothing, and we're Nobodies, then if we made our powers into something, then we could probably get out..."

A few people were confused, but Vexen seemed excited. "Ooh! Then we could have all of us direct our powers at one central point. We need to find a place in the Castle that seems less stable than the rest!"

"How do we find that out?" queried Saïx, looking purely and utterly bored. Elixean remembered that look from Sora, and she wished she could be there instead of here.

Elixean looked up. "There are certain places in the Castle... I've sensed them when I'm blind. It just makes me feel like we're in Twilight Town, or on Destiny Islands, instead of Castle Oblivion's look-alike. I believe those may be weak points."

Most of the members sounded impressed, but Larxene, as usual, was doubtful. "You sure your brain isn't malfunctioning like your eyes?"

Elixean stood, eyes glittering with determination. "Certain. We can get out if we focus our powers." She felt the presence of another and smelled flowers; Marluxia was standing beside her now. "You're powers are going to be hardest to focus, Marluxia..."

"Right..." He took a step closer to Elixean and she shivered slightly. Whenever he came near her, she just felt like she was freezing. Elixean straightened up, trying to hide her odd sensation. "I'll just have to practice, then, won't I?"

Elixean nodded slightly, beginning to pace about the floor. "So how many of us have recovered our power completely, Xemmy?" She slapped her hand over her mouth, regretting saying those words. Many of the members said it behind his back, and it had just slipped out. It was absolutely silent, and Elixean knew they were all watching to see Xemnas' reaction. She could feel Marluxia edging closer, as if ready to defend her if needed.

Finally Xemnas spoke in an icy tone, his eyes narrowed. "NEVER say that again, Elixean...."

Suddenly Elixean smiled deviously. She'd always wanted to get on his nerves, and now was a good opportunity. "Or you'll _what_, Xemmy?"

Next thing she knew she'd been knocked to the floor. Xemnas had smacked her right across the face, and although it stung, Elixean laughed. "So you get back at people by slapping them like a girl?" Xemnas grabbed her hood and pulled her up so she was right in front of his face. He growled under his breath, muttering curses. Elixean's blind eyes could feel Xemnas' own glowering into hers. She felt like he would kill her if she didn't do something. But she couldn't do anything. All of a sudden, she felt helpless, again, just like she'd felt when Larxene had her. She screamed once more, and another explosion sent Xemnas flying. Elixean somehow kept her ground, shaking violently.

Larxene shouted out above the others who were either cheering her on or telling her to get out. "Look what she did to me, Marluxia, _and_ our leader! She should be killed!" But no one moved at all; no one wanted the same treatment as the three of them had gotten. "FINE!!" snapped Larxene, jumping from her chair and approaching Elixean stealthily. "I'll handle it."

Elixean whirled around, trying to see Larxene, but as usual, her blind eyes allowed her no reason to see. Suddenly hands gripped her shoulders and a long, excruciating blast of electricity went through Elixean's blood. She broke free of Larxene's grasp, kneeling on the ground, gasping. She wished she didn't have to do something like this at _every_ meeting. But of course, she's too stupid to be respectful at a meeting. Larxene jumped at her and shocked her again, this time pinning Elixean to the floor and really letting out the lightning.

All of a sudden, Elixean realized she couldn't feel anything anymore. Larxene backed off in an instant, and very shocked and frightened gasps came from the whole meeting room. Elixean could only guess that she might be fading, but she hoped not. She heard people screaming her name, and could feel people shaking her, but she couldn't wake up... she couldn't get up... she couldn't hear or see or speak.

After a few moments, she stopped fading, but more or less floated between dimensions till her "being" came back. But as soon as the last particle of shadow came to her, she found herself in the meeting room with everyone staring at her worriedly, even Larxene. Her shadowy figure was being rearranged, some shadow particles fizzling away, some going back in place. She was either healing or dying, and she didn't know which.

She looked up to see Axel kneeling above her, his green gaze focusing in on her own dark blue gaze. She blinked, smiling slightly. He was saying something, but she couldn't hear. She closed her eyes again, and for a few hours, she didn't awaken. When she finally did wake up, she was still in the meeting hall, and she was surprised to find that she was on one of the chairs, lying in Axel's lap. He was asleep, and he looked pretty tired anyways. Elixean felt tired as well, so she went back to sleep for what seemed like years.

When she awoke, she awoke to the sound of people talking around her, sounding concerned and quiet. She blinked her eyes open and found that she was still on Axel's lap, and he was staring at the others, saying not a word. The other members were talking about her, hoping quietly that she'd be alright. Even Larxene sounded worried. Elixean shifted, and Axel looked down at her, smiling, looking quite relieved.

"Welcome to the world of the living," he said quietly, looking up to the others who also let out sighs. Elixean leaned her head back, resting it on the arm of the tall chair. Xemnas looked badly wounded, and Larxene seemed very guilty, as did Marluxia, who remembered that he hadn't assisted her. Most others looked quite happy that she was alive. She sat up, still leaning against Axel who said nothing.

"Look, Elixean, we're sorry we keep trying to mess with you like that," whispered Larxene, turning her head and crossing her arms. "We just wish you'd be less... um..."

"Competitive and irritating," finished Xemnas, grimacing. His hair was ruffled and his face was scratched up, and he was covered in band-aids. Elixean figured she must've done that. "But still, I do apologize."

Elixean closed her eyes, still feeling pretty weak from using that ability again. She sighed deeply, and then said, "We need to get out of here." A few curious questions were asked.

"Why the desperation?" asked Vexen.

Elixean ground her teeth together, and then said with great restraint, "Because if I stay in this prison a day longer I'm going to kill us all." Everyone was silent, not even daring to breathe. She sat up and leaned forward, jumping down to the floor and walking on shaky legs. She said not a word to any of the others who jumped down beside her, but walked through the portal. As soon as she got through, she closed her eyes. Everything went dark, and she felt her senses switch from sight to feeling. She walked around blindly, through the whole room, pressing her hands against the walls. Then she found what she was looking for.

The feeling around her went from large and expansive to even larger. It felt like the sun was shining brightly on her. When she opened her eyes, she was shocked to find that she wasn't in the Oblivion look-alike, but on top of the bell tower in Twilight Town. She glanced around, blinking her eyes, but then found that she was back in the Castle. She turned to everyone, opening her eyes. "This is our escape."

Everyone brightened, and Saïx took a step closer. "What do we need to do?"

Elixean smiled. "Everyone's going to have to die. I'm the only one who's been able to sense this place. So I think I'll have to kill everyone and get us there." They nodded, and Larxene looked a little frightened. Elixean smiled, looking up into the ceiling of the Castle. The seasons began to show up and swirl around her, creating a whirlwind. She gave them a few moments to charge, then began to send harder, stronger power into the whirlwind. It began to spiral more rapidly and out of control, till finally the whole room burst with the fury of the attack.

Elixean blinked her eyes open to find that they were still in Castle Oblivion, and she felt rather disappointed. But her disappointment faded when she realized everyone had their weapons in hand. Almost at once, everyone began growing used to their weapon again, and a few opened up portals.

Elixean slumped to the floor, feeling suddenly exhausted. Her own weapon vanished in a whirl of shadow, and she sighed. She didn't _feel_ like she'd been set free. She felt more like a prisoner than ever. She bowed her head, feeling left out as everyone left to go their own way, to different floors. But she saw two feet in front of her and she looked up to Marluxia. Axel had already gone.

"Elixean, what will become of you now?" he asked, kneeling in front of her. She looked down again, twiddling her fingers. "Will you go back to wherever it was you came from?"

Elixean suddenly began to cry, and the tears felt icy cold as Marluxia reached forward and hugged her. She didn't care what happened to her anymore. She would probably be better off going to that prison again. Marluxia grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet, leading her to the room she'd be taking, if she decided to stay. Then he left her there, alone. And being alone wasn't something she could handle. She let out a scream louder than the first five and nearly blasted her whole room to pieces.

Xemnas and Larxene looked in, recognizing the scream, to see Elixean sitting on the bed that had been trashed. The walls were chipped and there were pieces of debris everywhere.

"Something wrong, Elixean?" asked Xemnas.

Elixean looked up, her eyes glittering with malice. She said nothing, only summoned a portal and disappeared, back to the island where she'd first come from. But then she felt herself red hot with guilt. She'd released Sora's enemies and then come back to his island. What a traitor. She'd have to tell him so he could be prepared. She summoned up the portal like last, walking out, and, instead of trying to get their attention by coughing or something, she just went up and grabbed Sora's collar, lifting him from the ground.

"I accidentally let your enemies go and now they're plotting to kill you." After those words left her mouth she dropped him and took a pace back, looking quite red in the face.

Sora turned, his eyes wide with disappointment. "COME ON!! It took a lot of effort to get rid of them the first time, and now they know how I fight!"

Elixean closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I only let them out because I was desperate to leave as well. That place is torture." Suddenly she was knocked back by a fierce blow from Riku, who held his sword at her throat. "Go ahead, kill me. It's better than being here, filled with guilt." Riku would've taken her up on her offer if Kairi hadn't stepped in the way.

"Stop. She might prove useful if we let her live." Elixean sighed.

Suddenly, before anyone could do anything, a portal had opened and Larxene walked through, dragging Axel behind her. He was being choked and she yanked on his hood. She dropped him roughly and went back to the portal, closing it instantly. Sora was stunned.

"Axel!"

Riku and Kairi stepped back, letting Sora go by Axel who was still on the ground, gasping for breath. Elixean went over to him as well, her eyes wide.

"You ok, buddy?" asked Elixean, pulling his arms to make him sit up.

"A little shaken, but I'll deal with it..." he muttered, blinking. Kairi looked a little concerned, seeing the man who had kidnapped her, but if he was a friend of Sora's, then he was a friend of hers. Axel noticed her and smiled. "Sorry about kidnapping you. I just wanted to see Roxas." Kairi knew the story, so she said nothing, just nodded.

"What happened?" asked Elixean, still staring at him. Kairi caught her eye, and Elixean grinned. Kairi stifled a laugh, and Axel explained.

"Well, as soon as I had learned you left, I tried to figure out where you'd be, and I pestered Larxene about it, thinking she had something to do with it, and she got mad and dragged me through here. Well, I found you." He laughed and stood, and suddenly Sora went up and gave him a hug. Elixean was startled, as were Axel, Kairi and Riku. Nobody really knew how much Sora had missed Axel, even considering his Nobody had been Axel's best friend. Elixean stood and joined in, and finally Kairi joined too. But Riku did nothing, just continued staring dumbly at them.

Finally they broke away, and Sora looked up at Axel. "Thanks for the portal to the World That Never Was."

Axel shrugged. "Don't mention it."

So for a few moments everyone was quiet, then finally Elixean asked, "Where did you go when we returned to Castle Oblivion?"

Now Axel looked a little guilty. "I figured you'd want to go your separate way now. You got free of the Organization, so I figured you'd leave..."

Elixean noticed his hesitation. "Something wrong?"

Axel kind of nodded. "In that world, we all had to be friends to get out, but here, no one trusts me because I betrayed the Organization last time. And I beat Vexen and Larxene in combat. I guess I understand their reasons. But they told me to either put my allegiance with them in Oblivion or die outside. That's why Larxene took me so roughly."

Elixean nodded. "I see. Are you going to help me and Sora take down the Organization again?"

"Would I be included in dying?"

Both Elixean and Sora shouted fiercely, "Not a chance!"

Elixean grinned, grabbing his arm and pulling him closer. "You're our friend. You're going to stay with us till we're all dead." Kairi and Sora looked uneasy, and Elixean grinned. "Bad wording."

Axel nodded. "All right. This will be fun. You and I can gang up on Larxene."

Elixean laughed. "And Xemnas. Won't this be fun?" Elixean summoned her weapons, twirling them around her like she had in her battle with Sora. She smiled. The Organization had nearly killed her three times, and chances are, they'd do it again if the group didn't dispose of them first. So everyone prepared to head out on another journey. Kairi found Elixean on the way to the other side of the beach with a bag full of clothing.

"You'll look less suspicious to everyone else if you're not dressed in those robes," she pointed out as Elixean browsed through.

"Um.. thanks. Is Axel--?"

Kairi nodded. "You're both getting a new outfit. Our friends from other worlds won't think of you as a threat then." Elixean wondered how she could be considered a threat, but she said nothing. She went off to change, and was rather pleased with the outfit.

She had a hair-tie to put her hair up in a ponytail, and a bit of makeup donated from Kairi's mom to cover her markings beneath her eyes. The outfit was a pair of long black shorts (Somewhat like Sora's), a black shirt with the Nobody symbol, and black tennis shoes. She laughed. She hadn't dressed like a somebody since she _was_ a somebody. Still, it was fine that the outfit seemed like what a Nobody might wear, if they were to wear inconspicuous clothes.

She went back to the main beach to Kairi and Riku who were waiting to see the transformations. Kairi clapped as Elixean came into view, and Elixean broke into a run to get across the beach to them. She felt like she really was somebody now.

"Admit I chose a good outfit!" teased Kairi, jabbing Elixean.

"Fine, you picked a good...... outfit....................." She trailed off as she noticed Axel coming. He too had a black shirt with the Nobody symbol, and long, baggy black jeans, along with black shoes. His markings were left uncovered because he was too stubborn to cover them up. What caught her attention was how completely at home he seemed wearing the clothing; he fit the description of "hot" easily. Not that he ever didn't. Elixean smiled and waved, and Kairi poked Elixean's shoulder.

Kairi held out her hand, holding out a black choker necklace to Elixean. "It was mine when I was younger. Since it doesn't exactly go with me, I figured you could have it." Elixean put it on, and finally her outfit was complete and adorable. "He won't be able to resist you," whispered Kairi, standing back to let the two of them examine each other. Although they already had from a distance.

"Nice outfit," said Elixean finally, grinning widely. Neither of them were wearing their gloves anymore, nor the really tight black pants that came with the robe. "It matches your personality."

Axel nodded, smiling, and said quietly, "Yours looks nice too." He caught Sora's eyes, and Sora caught Kairi's, and Kairi and Sora both laughed quietly. Axel and Elixean didn't care to know what it was they laughed about.

"Should we head out?" asked Riku, totally bored with the outfits already.

Elixean nodded. "I guess. Where should we start?"

Axel, being a member of Organization XIII, knew their tactics and what they would be doing. "Well, they're probably just discussing a plan to destroy you now. Then they'll spread out to try to get us by surprise at each world."

Elixean nodded. "Most likely."

Axel opened a portal to Twilight Town, and the five went through, to the other side. Axel was very fond of this place, Kairi knew about it as well, and so did Riku and Sora, but Elixean was clueless. Still, she said nothing, just followed Axel to a large tower. Sitting atop the tower, balanced excellently, was an Organization figure. It looked pretty slim and slick, like a female, and instantly Elixean and Axel muttered, "Larxene!"

The female teleported down to the ground, removing her hood. Sure enough, Larxene's blond hair began to flutter in the breeze. "You two got makeovers," she noticed sourly.

Elixean summoned up her discs, and Axel his chakram. "Your point?" growled Elixean.

"It's too bad you're not going to be alive long enough to enjoy them," she snapped, jumping at Elixean first. Elixean had to get used to Larxene's speed again. After all, lightning was quick, and quick is high damage. Elixean leapt back, swiping the sharp discs of light at Larxene, who ducked and swept Elixean's feet out from under her. Axel stepped up and slashed at Larxene, who flinched as his chakram practically shattered the air right by her ear. Sora and Riku came from behind and slammed into her, knocking her into Elixean who grabbed her hood and tossed her up.

While in the air, Larxene twisted and threw her Kunai at the ground, and they covered the battlefield with an electrical floor. Sora began to glide over it, avoiding the rapidly moving shards. Riku lifted Kairi up onto Elixean's shoulders and Elixean jumped up, tossing Kairi at Larxene. Kairi grasped onto Larxene's hood and twisted so that Larxene would hit the ground first. Suddenly, a portal opened beneath the two and they fell through, appearing at the tower. Larxene had Kairi by the neck, holding her over the ground. She screeched as Larxene let go. Riku and Sora both made a run for it, and Axel set his chakrams to a rapid flame, flinging them with precision at Larxene.

One stuck in the tower right by her head, and the other she had to duck to escape its flaming spikes. Axel summoned them back with a wave of shadow and teleported up to Larxene, right on top of her, getting on her shoulders and knocking her down. She scrambled and wriggled furiously, and then finally she just electrocuted him until he jumped to his feet.

She leapt back to the ground, lunging at Elixean, who slashed her weapons, like kunai, actually, at Larxene, slamming her into the ground. Finally the three close range kids could have a turn. They had a little combat with her, and finally she began to fade. But was it really fading, or was she faking it? Both Elixean and Axel seemed to think she'd be back.

"We'd be better off finding everything if we split up..."

Everyone turned whipped around as they heard people calling their names, and Donald and Goofy were running towards them, along with Hayner, Pence, and Olette, Sora's and Kairi's friends.

"I can't believe you were going to go on another adventure without us!" whined Donald in his funny little duck-type voice. Elixean tried not to laugh.

"They found us and asked if we knew where you were," said Olette.

"But we had no idea you were here at all," added Pence.

"So... Who're these two?" asked Hayner, pointing at Axel and Elixean.

"Well... This one's Elixean," said Sora, pointing at her. She waved a quick hello, grinning.

"And this one is Axel," said Kairi. At that moment the three recognized him and his spiky red hair, and they got a little wary.

"You're traveling with your kidnapper as a companion?" asked Hayner disbelievingly.

"I'm not going to kidnap her again, otherwise I could've already," Axel pointed out.

"Maybe you want to gain Sora's trust and then take her!" exclaimed Pence, looking excited. He was always the kind of person who'd give anything for an adventure, so he wished he could go instead of Axel, but he figured he'd be no use.

Axel rolled his eyes, and Sora explained that he trusted Axel completely. However, Elixean wasn't trusted nearly as much as Axel, since she was the one who released his enemies again. And what had she ever done to save Sora?

"We really oughta split up. Sora can have Donald and Goofy, Riku can handle fine on his own, and maybe Kairi could stay here with Hayner, Pence and Olette, while Axel and I go together. We'll be able to teleport to you guys, and Riku's pretty good at finding people," explained Elixean. Almost everybody agreed except for Kairi.

"I'm tired of being left out on every adventure." She looked irritated, and hurt too.

"You could go with Riku, or you could go with us. Sora has too much to worry about already," Elixean muttered.

Kairi looked at Riku. "Can I go with you?" He nodded and she went to stand by him.

So now that the groups were split up, they had to figure out what to do first. Elixean and Axel decided to check out Hollow Bastion (AKA the Radiant Garden), but Sora said he'd want to come with. Riku didn't say where he was going, but headed off with Kairi trailing along behind. No one questioned him.

So the group said goodbye to Hayner, Pence and Olette and Elixean opened a portal to Radiant Garden, to the bailey. She looked around slowly. She hadn't seen this place in a long time. Although she actually couldn't remember the last time she'd been here.

"I'd like to check on Leon and the gang," said Sora, leading the way. Axel and Elixean didn't argue, although they didn't want him acting superior. When they arrived, Leon looked surprised to see his friend.

"I thought you were going to stay at the Destiny Islands," he said curiously. "You found your friends and defeated the Organization..."

"Yeah, but this one--" He paused to point at Elixean, who looked at him furiously, "--released them all back into the worlds again." Leon gave Elixean a suspicious glance, and Elixean's eyes flashed scornfully for a moment.

"Being trapped where I was, you wouldn't blame me for being desperate to get out, no matter what the cost," she muttered, leaving the room abruptly. Axel looked about to follow her, but Sora had pulled him closer for Leon to see that he was no threat either.

Elixean didn't exactly know where she was headed, but she felt she'd find something... She felt fairly certain it would be an enemy. She wandered aimlessly, up and down stairs, through tunnels and paved clearings. And she found nothing. Occasionally she'd turn back the other way after hearing a taunting laugh, but she never found who was causing the noise.

Being back in the open was crazier than she'd expected. She probably would've rather stayed in the prison. And she was tempted to send herself back. After focusing on the thoughts for a while, she began to get more edgy and jumpy. She became very confused as she realized that each turn was getting her farther away from wherever it was she was trying to get to. Finally she found a large empty clearing with walls on all sides, sitting down in the very center. Odd, the stone path looked like.... The Nobody symbol. She closed her eyes, crossing her legs and resting her elbows on her knees, her chin on her hands. She was probably imagining it.

Then she heard the sound of a portal behind her, and she sat up, still staring straight ahead. Footsteps approached, and she still had no idea who'd come. Finally she stood and turned. She was shocked when she saw Marluxia standing there, just staring at her. After a long pause, finally Marluxia spoke.

"When Larxene said your outfit changed, she wasn't kidding." Alright, so she was still alive. One more enemy to worry about.

Suddenly five more portals opened up around her. Larxene, Demyx, Xaldin, Luxord and Saïx were all surrounding her, along with Marluxia. The small discs of light whirled into her hand, and she stood defensively, looking around wildly.

"What are you guys up to? Trying to take me back or kill me?" Elixean hated seeing them just stand there. She turned her icy gaze from one to another, chilled by their silence and calmness.

Finally Marluxia held out his hand. "I'd much rather have you join with us for good than have to kill you, dear Elixean," he said coolly, and Elixean backed up a pace. Why did she have to leave? Why couldn't she be less irritable? Marluxia lowered his hand to his side, his scythe appearing in a flash of petals. She turned to Demyx, who didn't meet her eyes.

"Demyx, surely you don't want to be with these guys?" asked Elixean, stunned. Demyx said nothing. Elixean folded her arms, narrowing her eyes. "So you'll all gladly kill me..." She looked up. "I'd like to see you try."

But still no one moved an inch, and Elixean began to tremble. Why were they all just standing there?! She closed her eyes and sat down heavily, but none made any move towards her. She didn't like waiting for them to do whatever it was they were going to. Marluxia spoke again.

"Elixean, you'll be much safer with us than against us. You'll have our support. Sora is weak; he can't help you to get 'freedom' from us, if that's really what you want. If it's freedom you want, help us defeat Sora and you'll get your freedom," Marluxia murmured, and Elixean looked up.

"Sora is Axel's friend, and anyone concerning Axel doesn't deserve a harsh and cold fate," she growled, and Larxene laughed.

"Axel is a traitor, both to you and the Organization. Once he's gotten you and Sora into a big mess, he'll leave you guys because he doesn't want to go back to the prison again," she explained, still smiling maliciously.

Elixean said nothing. Anyone would go to drastic members to escape the prison, but Axel would never get them into a mess only to leave. Elixean sighed, and all of a sudden she found herself back on the island. What did this keep happening for? She was out of the prison... What was she missing? She opened her eyes, a light of fury flashing in them. With a flash of shadow, suddenly odd looking Nobodies were surrounding her; her own Nobodies. If an Organization member had their own race of Nobodies, why couldn't Elixean? She was like them, except less murderous.

They were the same jelly-looking creatures that they always are, gray and white and indigo little creatures. But hers were large and quick, looking like large wolves with spikes all along their bodies. They had long, grasping claws and vicious teeth that looked threatening, even from a distance. The six Organization members were shocked; they had no idea she had her own Nobodies! And neither did she for that matter, but she wasn't ungrateful for their appearance. She'd name them later.

While the members were occupied, she examined them all closely. They looked like they were in pretty good shape, and they seemed more powerful than when she'd last seen them. They had probably been training. What reason would they have not to? After all, the enemies they were up against were powerful as well.

Suddenly one of her creatures was down, and Marluxia came and grabbed her up around her throat. She squirmed and fought, but he wouldn't let go. A portal surrounded them, and for hours Elixean could see nothing but darkness. But being trapped in the darkness was a fate a traitor like her deserved.


	3. Part Three:: Fighting in the Dark

Nobody Important- Part Three

So in the past few days, Elixean had released the Organization and returned to the island, feeling like a traitor, and the feeling didn't change much throughout their small journey. The first stop was Twilight Town, where the group of Sora, Kairi, Riku, Elixean, Axel, Goofy, and Donald split into three, and Riku and Kairi just randomly wandered off. Elixean did the same later after snapping at Leon, wandering furiously, aimlessly, through the corridors and pathways of the Radiant Garden. When she appeared in a large clearing, she was ambushed by six Organization members, discovering that she had her own set of Nobodies that looked like spiky lions. But Marluxia destroyed one and captured Elixean, bringing her into a portal. Now she's trapped inside the darkness, like a prisoner yet again.

Elixean finally opened her eyes after sitting in the darkness quietly for hours. Marluxia had abruptly disappeared a few moments after they had entered the darkness, and she'd sat quietly. Now, more than ever, she wished she could see the island. But she couldn't. No thoughts came to her mind, no matter how long she closed her eyes. So after the chilling silence she finally stopped trying. She'd be stuck here forever, prisoner to whatever their plans were.

All of a sudden, in a flash of light, she found herself in the meeting room of Castle Oblivion, and what irritated her most was that she was in another hold of Marluxia's thorn vines. She struggled, but they held more tightly than last time. She was held against the wall yet again by one of his stupid traps. Had she been dreaming about the darkness? Or was this the dream...?

The chairs surrounding her were filled with silent hooded figures, except for Marluxia, whose face was glowing with confidence. He smiled at Elixean, who turned her head, despite the thorn pricking her throat.

Finally Marluxia spoke. "Xemnas, all I'm saying is that they're likely to come for Elixean."

Xemnas, wherever he was, disagreed completely. "Sora and Riku wouldn't. The only ones likely to come are Axel and Kairi."

Marluxia nodded. "If Axel comes, it's likely Sora will come. If Sora comes, Riku will come."

"And if Sora doesn't come?"

"We'll just take Kairi. Then Sora will come." Xemnas shrugged.

"If we could've easily taken Kairi, why did we take Elixean?"

"Right now it isn't easy to take Kairi, because Riku's with her. Elixean was stupid enough to wander alone," he pointed out, and Elixean clenched her fists underneath the sharp barrier. The thorns rattled, and Marluxia looked her way. "You'll be useful to us whether Axel and Sora come or not."

Elixean felt more like a traitor than ever. She thought silently, tuning out the voices of the others. She wondered if her mega attack could free her. If it could, what price would she pay? Oh well. She looked at Marluxia scornfully. "You and all the Organization are pathetic. You use others to get what you want. If you're as strong as you think, why not just take Sora with an ambush like you did to me?"

"You fought back hard with your little creatures," commented Larxene. She sounded somewhat impressed, and she probably was, but she hated Elixean too much to admit it. "But some of us wouldn't be able to refrain from killing the boy, once we start to battle."

"You are murderers," she growled, and Marluxia teleported from his chair to the floor in front of her.

"You'll be a murderer or be murdered." Then he left the meeting hall, leaving Elixean in the room with all the other members still glaring at her. The next person to speak was Demyx.

"Sorry if I say something that seems stupid our traitorous, but... Since Elixean's my friend--" She laughed harshly, and he kind of looked a little sad as he changed his words, "--_somewhat_ my friend, I think we should move her to a place where she'd be more comfortable."

Elixean heard a loud smack and Demyx letting out a yelp. Larxene screamed, "WE DON'T GET WHAT WE WANT BY MAKING A PRISONER COMFORTABLE!!!!!"

The whole room was silent now except for Larxene who was recovering from her tantrum. Then Xemnas began to speak.

"Larxene... Maybe Demyx is right. She may feel better about being prisoner if she's in a comfortable room. She'll be more agreeable."

Larxene muttered something inaudible.

"Calm down, Larxene. She won't be able to escape," he said icily calm. "Demyx, go get Marluxia so we can release Elixean."

Demyx teleported from the meeting hall quickly, and a few moments Demyx and Marluxia both returned. Marluxia released Elixean and Demyx went to her side quickly as she fell to the floor. Not being able to stand for a few hours made her a little weak. Marluxia picked her up and carried her to her room. She didn't feel like struggling, no matter how much she wanted to get out of his grasp.

He sat her down on the bed. "Demyx, you stay here. I'm going to ask Vexen if he has anything that will make her stronger." He waved and teleported away, and as soon as the last bit of shadow left, Elixean fell back on her bed, sighing. Demyx sat at the foot of her bed.

"Demyx... Am I a traitor?"

He nodded slightly; the cheek that Larxene slapped got redder for a moment. "To Sora... Yes. You released us and he'll have to kill us all over again." Elixean sighed and he continued. "And to us you escaped to go tell Sora that we were free. You don't exactly have a side you'd ever be completely trusted on."

"That's fine. I probably don't want to belong to any side... I've always been free. Neither side will ever fit me well enough. I'll always either be held by the Organization or by Sora, and if neither, I'll be held by guilt of betraying you, Vexen, Axel, Sora, and Kairi..." She sighed again, laying down and shutting her eyes. "And if I killed myself I'd be held by the prison."

Demyx looked apologetic but said nothing. "Well... I'll never keep you captive, Elixean. Promise."

She could've said he was holding her captive now, but she didn't feel like he was. He felt more like a friend. For the time being. Marluxia came back a few moments later with a bottle of water in his hands. He tossed it to Elixean. "He didn't have anything but that bottle, so that's what you get, I suppose..."

She sat up and opened it, thinking it smelled a little odd. But then she thought it was just herself. She was thirsty, so even poison would've been fine. She took a little sip, then a bigger one, until the bottle was empty. She sat it down on the floor and lay back down. Demyx and Marluxia held a pretty friendly conversation with her, but after a while, she found that she was getting quieter and quieter and more distant from the world around her. Finally she stopped responding period, and Demyx looked a little worried, but he seemed to have an excuse. "You must be tired, Elixean. Too much stress can do that to you."

_What do I have to be stressed about?_ she thought, blinking slowly. She thought about being a traitor to practically everyone, then about being ambushed and captured. Ok, she did have something to be stressed about. She drifted to sleep from the silence, and she woke again to find Larxene in her room with Marluxia.

Elixean said nothing, just looked at them. Marluxia smiled slightly. "I believe Vexen's potion may have worked. She doesn't look as defiant as she used to."

Elixean was curious as to what they meant. She didn't exactly feel different.

"Want me to find out?" offered Larxene. Marluxia nodded, and before he could say anything, Larxene had thrown Elixean over her shoulder and began to walk down the hall. Elixean fought in Larxene's iron hold, but somehow she didn't feel like she could break free.

"Let me go," said Elixean pitifully, blinking. Why did stuff like this always happen? Oh, yeah, because she left the group by getting irritated too quickly. She cursed under her breath, and Marluxia raised his eyebrows, unused to this side of her where she'd swear.

Larxene dropped Elixean roughly in the meeting hall, and Elixean was fuming. She glared at Larxene. "Go on, girl. Teleport out of here. You'll be allowed to. If you can."

Elixean didn't even try. It was a challenge she wouldn't win. She guessed what the water had done now. It had taken away every power she had. One of Vexen's potions, she guessed, remembering what Marluxia had said. She just stood and dusted herself off, looking up to Demyx, who was a little surprised at Vexen and Marluxia's treachery, after acting so kind... somewhat. She said absolutely nothing to him, nor did she glare or turn away. She just stared. One second later she turned, shoving past Marluxia and through the door, back to the main hall. So if she had no side she had nothing at all. WHAT A DEAL. Then she'd pick her poison...

She searched for Vexen's room, hoping he had something that could get her out of Castle Oblivion. She was in the room, searching through his potions, when the door opened and she heard footsteps behind her. She didn't stop rummaging through till a hand grabbed her wrist. She turned around to see Demyx. He sighed. "Elixean, killing yourself isn't going to help anything." She too sighed, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to comfort her. After a few minutes, Elixean backed up, hurt glittering in her eyes.

"You knew, didn't you?" she asked quietly, referring to the potion. He nodded guiltily, and she looked away. A long silence followed, and finally Elixean looked up and muttered, "It's fine. I never did any good with my power anyways. I suppose I don't deserve them." She still looked through the shelves, but finally she stepped out with Demyx following her. "So what do I do? I'm a powerless prisoner."

He shrugged. "You may as well enjoy what you can..." He trailed off as he thought hard about what she could possibly enjoy. Finally he gave up, instead looking Elixean right in the eye. "You want to see Axel, don't you?"

Elixean said nothing, instead looking to the ground, and that gave away everything.

He shook his head as he murmured, "I'll take you to him, but you have to come back with me."

She looked up right at him, her eyes wide and brimmed with tears. "Really, Demyx?" He nodded and she grabbed onto his arm. "Can we go now? Please?"

He sighed and nodded, looking guilty. The shadows enclosed them and they appeared in Twilight Town once again. Axel was sitting atop the tower, clearly lost in his memories. She imagined they were about his old friend Roxas. She walked out of the shadows in front of the tower, looking up at him quietly. A breeze rushed through the town, ruffling everyone's hair. Axel looked up slightly with his green eyes and saw Elixean, and he perked up. "Elixean? Where have you been?"

She said nothing, and Demyx came out a few steps. She had nothing to say to Axel, but Axel wanted to know where she'd been. Demyx whispered to her, "Make this escape convincing. I don't want to be a traitor to the Organization. We'll lure Axel to the Castle, and they can do what they want with him there. He'll be fine, I bet."

Elixean felt nothing. Boy, did she feel like a Nobody now. No emotion, no heart. Demyx suddenly walked up and grabbed her arm, and she squeaked. She tried to pull her arm free but he gripped on tightly. "LET GO!" she snapped, pulling her arm again. As Axel watched her struggling to escape, he realized she couldn't do anything. He teleported to the ground and ran to help, but by then Demyx had grabbed her waist and brought up a portal that surrounded them. Axel jumped through, right into the Organization's grasp. Demyx and Marluxia were blocking Elixean from getting to Axel, and the other members surrounded him so he couldn't get to her. Axel summoned his chakrams, and they were ablaze by the strength of his fury.

"Let her go," he growled. "I'll kill you all."

"If you're planning on using your flamethrower attack, forget it. You'll kill Elixean and yourself as well as us," pointed out Marluxia. Axel still looked pretty irritated, but that point made him get a little down.

Elixean wished she could summon one of her little cats. She'd give Axel a little hand. No sooner had she thought it than one popped up beside Axel. He was larger and appeared more brawny and vicious looking than the other cats had. Not the mention the fact that this one had silver eyes. It edged closer to Axel, snarling. The members recognized it as Elixean's, but they were shocked because _she wasn't supposed to be able to do that._

She grinned, and Marluxia smacked her in the face, turning back to Axel. Elixean rubbed her cheek and watched Marluxia approach Axel and the creature. It crouched in a defensive position by Axel, growling maliciously. Marluxia didn't stop. He was only a few inches away from the creature when he halted. Larxene took the place Marluxia had been.

"Axel, you don't want Elixean to get hurt, do you?" he asked coolly, and suddenly Larxene slammed Elixean to the ground. Elixean gasped with shock as she hit the floor roughly, pain lancing through her spine. Larxene's kunai disappeared as Elixean looked back at her, her dark blue eyes filled with icy rage. But Elixean did nothing. She looked back at Axel and her creature, who was still snarling at Marluxia. Axel's eyes were glittering with pity and contempt as he looked from Larxene to Elixean.

"What do you want?" he asked quietly, his voice harsh.

"We want you back with the Organization. No matter how much of a traitor you are, you're powerful and could be useful in eliminating Sora," replied Marluxia.

Axel and the creature both let out battle cries and lunged at the enemies. Demyx jumped over to Elixean, grabbing her arm and pulling her through a portal. They were in the room with the little crystal ball, and Elixean watched it quietly. Her creature was fighting quite roughly, winning his battle against Luxord. Axel was being triple teamed by Vexen, Marluxia and Larxene. Luxord abruptly fizzled out as her creature swatted him to the ground with its massive paw, leaping to Axel's defense.

The creature, who she had just now named Furor (another word for fury), lashed out at Marluxia, sending him flying backwards into a chair. Furor's angry roar could be heard all through the castle. He leapt at Marluxia, pinning him to the floor, his long white fangs glittering. Marluxia struggled, but he couldn't free himself from the beast's grasp. Suddenly Furor reared as a spear, one of Xaldin's, stabbed into his spine. Then the members who weren't attacking Axel began to gang up on Furor, who bucked about and wailed with rage.

Finally another one of Xaldin's spears did the final blow, and Furor faded out. Elixean felt a little depressed; he'd been very loyal to Axel. She turned her gaze away from the crystal ball as she heard the sound of a portal opening. Her creature lay down silently beside her, nuzzling her feet gently. She smiled and rubbed his head. "Good boy."

When she looked back, Axel had been knocked out some way that Elixean didn't know, and Marluxia used his powerful vines to capture Axel so he couldn't escape. Elixean sighed.

"I'm as good as dead now. I assisted Axel with Furor, however I summoned him, so they'll kill me," she muttered to Demyx, who'd been watching from a distance. Demyx sighed.

"I could get you out, but then I'd be against the Organization as well." Elixean looked at him, her blue eyes filled with disbelief.

"You don't honestly want to be with these guys, do you?" she asked quietly, hoping not to pressure his answer. For a while he said nothing, and all that could be heard was Furor's heavy breathing. Finally he answered quietly.

"No." Furor lifted his head, giving Demyx a hard stare, making sure that Demyx was serious. He stood, nuzzling Demyx's face and making a rumble that sounded like a purr. Demyx was slightly reassured.

"Then we have to get out. I'll help Axel when I get a chance. For now I need to find Sora, but I still have no power. You teleport us, Furor will get us around quicker. I need to warn Sora," explained Elixean. Demyx and Furor nodded.

Elixean climbed on Furor's back, and Demyx opened a portal to Hollow Bastion before hopping on. Elixean grabbed onto a clump of fur on his back, and Demyx (rather awkwardly) held on around Elixean's waist. Then Furor shot off with a jolt, running like a wild creature through to the large, empty city. Elixean led Furor through the city, till finally she stopped at Merlin's. She hopped off and Furor lay down with a heavy thump, jolting Demyx roughly. Leon opened the door, glaring at Elixean and her creature, as well as Demyx.

"What do you want?"

"Demyx, my creature and I escaped the Organization. But Axel's been captured. I need to warn Sora. Where is he?" she said quickly, and Leon blinked.

"Why should I tell you? Maybe you're just going to lead the Organization to him."

"HOW COULD I EVEN CONTACT THEM?!?!?!" she howled, and Furor perked his ears. Leon backed up a pace, his eyes wide. "THEY TOOK AWAY MY POWERS!!!" She took a deep breath, while Leon was shocked into silence. "That's why I need Demyx and Furor so much. I can't defend myself."

There was quite a long silence afterward, and finally Leon said quietly, "He went to Traverse Town." Elixean nodded.

"I wouldn't yell at you so much if you'd just learn to trust me." She patted the top of his head demeaningly and leapt on Furor's back. Demyx opened a portal to Traverse Town and yet again Furor headed off with a start, lunging through the portal. On the other side it was dark and abandoned. Elixean heard voices talking, and she recognized Donald. After a few moments of silence she also heard Xaldin. Furor growled within his throat, recognizing the man who removed him from the fight on Axel's side. Elixean patted his side soothingly.

Then she heard a clang and knew they were in a fight. "Go, Furor!" she snapped, digging her heels into his side. He leapt into the clearing with a howl, knocking Xaldin down instantly. Sora looked grateful for the assistance. Donald and Goofy were curing him, who had taken some mighty damage within the first few seconds. He must've been fighting with some Nobodies and Heartless a few moments before the battle. Demyx leapt off of Furor's back, summoning his Sitar and making fifty water clones.

Elixean and Furor heading to the other side of Xaldin, who was recovering from the surprise attack. Furor snarled, his silver eyes glittering, and Elixean clung tightly to his fur. There was nothing she could do but direct Furor. Xaldin's spears swirled around him, slashing Furor across the face, and knocking half of Demyx's clones away. Sora, Donald and Goofy had avoided the attack. Demyx's clones jumped at Xaldin, and Furor, under Elixean's command, jumped as well, over the maelstrom of spears, on top of Xaldin, who was crushed under Furor's weight.

Furor leapt up as one of Xaldin's spears jabbed into his ribs. He snarled and swiped a paw at Xaldin, knocking him into one of the brick walls, and Donald sent lightning at him, stunning him while Sora jumped. Demyx's clones went up to Xaldin, pinning him down while Sora defeated Xaldin with a few violent swings. Xaldin faded out. Good. That was two down. Only nine more to go.

Furor walked over to Demyx, who removed his clones from the field. Sora and his friends ran up, and Demyx was curious as to why Demyx was there. In fact, he asked.

"What are you doing here?" he asked somewhat rudely, and Demyx grinned.

"They picked the wrong guy for the position. So now I'm on your side," he replied, using one of his favorite (or at least most common) quotes. Sora nodded, welcoming him to the group, but at that moment he noticed Axel's absence. Demyx and Elixean took turns telling the whole story, from her losing her power to Axel being captured, and Demyx escaping with Elixean. Sora looked grave for a moment.

"What do you suppose they'll do with Axel? And what if they catch Elixean? Or you, Demyx?" asked Sora. Furor snorted and nudged Sora roughly with his muzzle.

"What??" Sora grunted.

"Be positive," said Elixean, grabbing Demyx's hood and pulling him onto Furor's back. "We'll head back to Castle Oblivion and get Axel, but only if you come too."

Sora examined Furor. "He's not big enough for you, Demyx, me, Donald, and Goofy. Someone will have to walk. I guess I will," he offered. Goofy and Donald attempted to get onto Furor's back, but every time they succeeded, he bucked, knocking them off. Finally they gave up and decided to walk with Sora. Demyx opened the portal and they all went through, right into the meeting hall, where Axel was still being held captive. Furor padded up, sniffing at Axel's face, giving his cheek a tender lick. He pulled back abruptly.

"What's wrong, Furor?" asked Elixean. She walked up to Axel, laying a hand on his cheek. She too pulled back abruptly; his skin was icy cold. She noticed he was pale as a ghost. Demyx leapt down as well, and Sora ran up to Axel's side, with Goofy and Donald waiting quietly by Furor's side.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Sora worriedly, his eyes wide.

Elixean shook her head, choked with tears. She feared he wouldn't be alive much longer. She blinked, and noticed a chip of ice fall from one of the thorns holding Axel down. She howled with anger, and suddenly everyone felt a rush of wind as Elixean's power returned for a brief moment in her attack of ferocity. Then she was exhausted of power completely. She stood, her eyes glittering. "Furor, break the vines." Her voice was cold and commanding, and Furor flattened his ears, digging his claws into the roots and ripping them away.

Elixean sat by Axel, setting his head in her lap, even though he was still icy cold. She held her hands on his cheeks, hoping to warm him up. After a few minutes her hands were stiff with cold, but she still held her hands there. Finally, she sighed. "Sora, can you use Firaga?" He nodded and readied himself. Elixean left his side, so she wouldn't be injured, and Sora released the attack at full charge, and it slammed into Axel. For a moment, Elixean swore he was sitting up, but it was only her imagination. He still didn't move.

"Axel..." she whispered quietly. She placed her hand to his cheek; it was still freezing. Nothing had changed. Furor's ears perked up and he turned around. Standing quietly was Marluxia. Elixean stood, her eyes glittering, and Sora, Donald, and Goofy readied themselves for battle. But Demyx backed up quite a ways, as if hiding.

"What did you do?" Elixean growled, glaring at him furiously.

"All I did was capture him. Vexen froze him from the inside out, but it was like he was imprisoned in ice, instead of disappearing," explained Marluxia. Furor growled. Elixean looked absolutely enraged. With sudden uncharacteristic strength she threw Marluxia to the ground.

"WAKE HIM UP," she demanded. She was filled with untreatable power, and she knew her powers were probably going to erupt again. Marluxia did nothing, and she screamed at the top of her lungs, "WAKE HIM UP!!!"

Everything went dark, and eventually everything faded away, to be replaced with dark skies and icy rain. She was laying on the ground, soaking wet, her long blond bangs drooping in front of her eyes. She sat up, covered in mud and still dripping. The rain began to fall harder. She looked around, wondering what was going on. Where was she? Certainly not Destiny Islands... right? The sand was much coarser, and the ocean was rougher and black. The island appeared to be flooding with darkness.

She blinked curiously. Was this the island she'd lived on before she'd become a Nobody? She walked around for about an hour till she finally saw a living thing. She recognized a large dog instantly. She didn't know why, but she shrieked, "Furor!" The large white dog sprinted through the darkness to her side, panting and whimpering. His eyes were silvery, and she remembered he was blind. "Where are we?"

She heard a voice behind her and whipped around, but she saw no one. The dog growled, his ears flattening. Elixean had never felt more frightened ever before. Suddenly pain seared into her spine, and she collapsed in the rain. Furor pawed at her, wailing pitifully, but after a moment, he too fell.

Elixean awoke quite some time later, rubbing her eyes. She was in a quiet dark place; it seemed empty and forgotten. She stood, dusting herself off, finding that she was back in the Organization robe. Furor, if that's who the dog had been, was gone, and she felt quite lonely. She felt something stir within her, and all of a sudden her weapons swirled into her fingers. She grinned. "Perhaps it was the process of regaining my ability," she said to herself. She shot at the emptiness with a beam of sunlight, still smiling. "I missed this."

Then she heard a _wooof_, and she turned. She saw Furor, the Nobody. He smiled at her. "Do you remember what happened?"

"I hadn't thought about it in so long... I was beginning to forget..." She was excited to see Furor now, when she was so lonely.

"You remember who I was though," he said. She nodded slightly, and then shook her head. He sighed and lay down, and she sat, leaning into his fur.

Then he told her the story of her life and rebirth as a Nobody, along with his own. And she was glad to hear that he'd been with her the whole time. But there was something new to worry about now. "How will we get out, Elixean?"


	4. Part Four:: A Stomach's Butterfly

Nobody Important- Part Four

No one can change the faulty emotions of a Nobody. Especially not one with such twisted emotions like Elixean. First she released the original Organization, a traitor to Sora and his friends. Then she warned Sora that she had released them, becoming an enemy of the Organization as well. Overcome with every imaginable emotion—regret, hatred, sorrow, love—Elixean became a walking time bomb. After wandering and being captured, she was rendered powerless, and used as bait to capture Axel, Elixean's love. Once Elixean had found Axel, she was met only by his practically lifeless body. Cold with rage, she destroyed Marluxia, sending herself into an endless dream state. Her pet, Furor, told her of the past that she couldn't remember, because the memories had been locked up along with Furor.

Elixean sat up with a start, pulling in a sharp gasp. Her 'heart' was thudding, and she was panting. She stared around. She was in Twilight Town, in the Usual Spot. She closed her eyes, falling back with a thud, only to find that she'd fallen back upon Furor's ribs. He flinched slightly, startled, and Elixean whispered, "How is…?"

Furor sighed, moving his forepaw. Axel lay sprawled over the ground, completely unmoving. "He hasn't even breathed," he replied softly.

Elixean stared at him, her jaw gaping, but she shut it quickly. She staggered to her feet, querying, "How long have I been sleeping?"

"Long enough to have missed seven sunrises." He looked at the sky, between the holes in the roof, to see the sun setting. "And many hours afterwards."

She frowned, staring around. "So where's everyone else?"

"Out searching for the Organization." Furor licked Axel's face, not expecting him to stir.

Once more Elixean's gentle eyes dug into Axel's face, and she bit her lip. _I'm going to cry…?_ As suspected, a tear slipped down her cheek, and she stared at the small speck on the ground in awe. She crouched, staring at it.

"Elixean, you are the most special Nobody I've ever had the pleasure of meeting," Furor murmured mysteriously.

She blinked at him but said nothing.

He turned his silver gaze to her. "You and Axel have something in common. But I believe you know that. Somewhere in your mind, you know what I'm talking about."

Elixean turned away, glancing around. "How long has everyone been gone?" she asked softly, trying to ignore Furor's mysterious comments.

"Two days ago. They figured you wouldn't wake up anytime soon. I had to come into your dreams to wake you up," Furor replied, obviously willing to forget what he'd said.

Elixean whirled around, staring at Axel, a sudden spark in her eyes. She looked up at Furor. "Can you get me into his dream?"

Furor looked uneasy now, pulling his paw back around Axel. "I don't know, Elixean. Perhaps it isn't even safe to try. I'm not going to risk losing you into his dream," he replied softly, nervously.

She stared at him, pleading with her eyes, begging, "Please! If there is any way that I can wake him up I will do it! No matter what cost."

The massive hound hesitated, then rumbled, "Come here. Lie down beside him, and take his hand in yours. I will take care of everything else."

She instantly hurried over to Axel, crouching by his side. For a short while, she simply gazed at his face, and then she lowered herself completely to the ground, resting her head on Furor's paw. She moved her hand over, setting her hand gently on top of Axel's. Still cold and lifeless, she shivered, feeling the tears swelling up again. Quietly, her fingers interlaced with his. She felt energy flowing from her body to his, and her eyes began to flutter shut until finally her eyelashes hid the dark blue orbs beneath.

All around her was darkness. Not just the black of midnight, but creeping darkness. Shadows, Heartless, and faint haunts. Where was she? She took a step, hearing it echo softly through the emptiness. The shadows receded from the movement, only to envelope her again.

She glanced around wildly. Nothing looked the same. Nothing looked real. She took another few steps, stumbling forward as though something had just flown towards her, wind urging her forward. The shadows shrieked, flying away, as light flooded from the ground around her. The brightness blinded her, and for a few moments she could only feel the rush of cool wind.

She finally felt the radiance dim, and she found herself staring across the ocean—her ocean, from Butterfly Cavern. She whirled around, her whole body light, joyous. "Home?" she breathed.

"No. Only a dream," replied a familiar scraggly voice.

Elixean whirled around, her eyes hopeful. But no one was there. She sighed, turning to walk towards the ocean, feeling it pull at her. She felt warmth flooding through her body, every limb, and she couldn't help but smile. "Dream or no dream, I don't know. But this is a new start, right, Axel?"

The voice simply laughed, and Elixean sighed gently. She missed that laugh. The next thing she knew, she was off running, feeling alive for the first time since she'd seen Axel smile. She ran into the water, fumbling with each step, until she fell. She propelled herself along beneath the water's surface, staring through the crystal clear waters like she were seeing through air.

She didn't need to breathe. She could swim forever. Still, she bobbed to the surface, pulling in a deep breath and staring around. She turned back towards land, not knowing how far she'd gone. She could barely see the island. But she turned the other way, seeing a tall sandbar a short distance away. It was like the island that belonged in Destiny Islands, but it was decorated with pictures of many different butterflies and people. She splashed towards the ladder, leaping up the prongs.

She froze as she reached the top. Axel lay on the sand, his eyes closed, but he looked relaxed, not lifeless. Still, she slowly crept over.

"Axel?" Elixean squeaked.

He instantly sat up, his face broad with a smile. "Elixean," he breathed. He jumped to his feet, lunging for her and wrapping his arms around her quickly, holding her close. "You found me."

Elixean smiled, feeling warmth come from his body, so different from the waking world. She stepped back, biting her lip.

"So what do we do now?" Axel asked her, blinking his gorgeous green eyes. Axel looked around, then returned his gaze back to Elixean. "Hey… Isn't this where you came from? Butterfly Cavern?"

Elixean replied softly, "Only in a dream."

Axel looked around once more. "It looks real enough to me," he commented. "Maybe… while we figure out how to go back… you can reminisce?"

Elixean smiled. "Maybe…" She held out her hand, and Axel took it lightly. Elixean cooed, "We'll only fall for a minute or so."

She took off running, dragging Axel behind her, and she took a jump over the edge of the island. A massive butterfly appeared beneath them, its wings creating torrents of mist and wind around the two as they landed steadily in a straddle on its back.

"Hold on!" Elixean squeaked as the Butterfly began rocketing upwards. She felt warmth flood through her body as Axel wrapped his arms around her protectively. The monstrous creature's gold-streaked black wings stroked up and down with light movements, taking it higher and higher, then they dipped and begun to spiral.

Elixean remembered the glorious feeling of flying from when she'd been a Somebody, Elaine, a sixteen-going-on-seventeen girl with a happy-go-lucky attitude. For a moment, something seemed off balance. She always rode the butterflies with someone, but…. Who…?

Suddenly the butterfly lurched to a halt and Elixean's mind went back to the now; she braced herself, having to support Axel in the meantime, and clenched her teeth. The butterfly had landed, less gracefully than she remembered, and began trying to shake Axel and her off.

The two fell into the sand in front of a small, dark hole in a cliff-side of stone. Elixean felt a pulling from the darkness, and she looked at Axel. He shrugged, and she began crawling on her belly towards the cavern. A rush of wind blew into her face, warm wind. She stuck her head through the hole into the darkness, trying to see. There was light on the other side of the cave.

She looked down; she could see the outline of boulders on the floor. A rope ladder hung in front of her face. She turned, sitting on the dirt with her legs hanging into the cave. She looked back. "We're gonna go see what's down there."

"Does reminiscing have anything to do with it?" Axel inquired.

Elixean didn't answer instantly. She began down the hole, feeling around through the darkness with her feet. Come to think of it, maybe reminiscing wasn't everything. Maybe recollection was more important. She began down the rope ladder slowly, feeling the rope swing jerkily under her weight. She felt uneasy and wary as she fumbled down the ropes, and she halted completely as the rope beneath her feet disappeared. She shrieked as she nearly fell who knows how far to the darkness below, holding herself up with only one hand.

"Elixean!" Axel called down. "You ok?"

She squeaked, "Yes," and swung her legs back up to the rope, biting her lip. Sure, she was agile, but this was _rope_. It moved when she moved. The rope began to burn and twist in her hands, and she yelped as she let go, falling flat on her back into sand below. She winced as light from above flooded into her eyes.

"Are you _sure_ you're ok?" Axel called again uneasily.

"Yeah, fine…" Elixean mumbled as she sat up, brushing sand out of her hair with her fingertips. She turned, rising to her knees and standing, looking around. Now that she was all the way down here, it didn't seem so dark. "Come on. And be careful; about twenty steps down the ladder ends."

She began to wander, her footsteps echoing. _Where am I?_ she wondered suspiciously. The walls of the cave were colored with white crayons, some pictures faded, some pictures seeming almost new. _This place seems almost like Kairi, Sora, and Riku's secret cave in Destiny Islands…_

She looked up, her eyes widening in awe. On the ceiling were thousands of glowing, pulsing chrysalises, with gently twitching butterfly bodies forming inside. This was the Butterfly Cavern, where the millions of grand butterflies were born. Elixean whispered, "This… Is… My… Secret place…"

Axel appeared behind her. "From when?"

"When I was a Somebody," Elixean replied softly, her jaw gaping. She turned, heading back towards the drawings on the walls with a bit more purpose. She crouched, staring at one that was larger and more detailed than the rest.

The image was one of a boy and a girl, smiling at each other with kind eyes. The girl was offering him a shell, and he was offering her a necklace. Elixean blinked. This was… her. _Me_, Elixean thought with sudden realization. She whirled around, standing to face Axel.

"This is me! My Somebody. I… I lived here with another boy," she gasped. She thought long and hard. And then again her whole body was numb with sudden realization. "Michael. My best friend. He was here on the island when the Heartless attacked us…"

"How come you've never remembered him before now?" Axel wondered aloud.

"I don't…" She cut off, shaking her head, and turned back to the picture. She reached out to it with her hand, tracing the image with her finger. And she was launched into a memory. The first memory she'd had… so real.

She was a girl. A girl with short brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, and crystal blue eyes, staring into a round shell. She had such a smooth, warm face. She looked beside her, smiling. Michael sat to her side, brightly grinning back to her. His hands were hidden behind his back; his eyes were alight with the hopes of surprising her with something.

She looked back to the shell, and her face grew abruptly dark as, in the shell, she saw a reflection. Not her own reflection. Not a Somebody. She saw her Nobody. _What is going on?_ she wondered sorrowfully. _Am I Elaine or Elixean?_

She turned, offering the shell to Michael. What would he see? He reached out with one hand, taking it politely and staring into the round, bowl-like center. She peered over his shoulder. He wasn't in the shell. An image of a man, looking almost like Axel, with aquamarine hair and ice blue eyes, stared back at her. She blinked, settling back into the sand.

Michael's eyebrows furrowed, looking confused, but then he set the shell down beside him, turning to her. "Elaine… happy seventeenth birthday," he beamed.

Confused, she replied, "It's not my birthday yet."

He shrugged. "Better now than never."

He held out his hand, opening his fingers. Resting in his palm was a small necklace. A Heart. A beautiful crystal heart. Elaine gasped.

"It's…. lovely!" She took it, clasping it around her neck without hesitating. "Where did you get it?"

"I made it," he replied, now looking sheepish. "I used one of the butterfly chrysalis shells and shaped it."

"I love it," she squeaked with absolute delight, staring at the small crystal. "Thank you."

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them she was back in the cave, back to being Elixean. She suddenly felt something cold on her neck. She looked down. The necklace, the one from her memory, was clasped on, shimmering in a mixture of bright gold and dark red.

Axel stared at the new trinket. "Were you always wearing that?"  
Elixean shook her head. "No, I don't remember it."

"What happened?" Axel whispered. "One moment you were staring at the picture, and the next you just went blank. It's like you weren't even there."

"I remembered… the day Heartless came to Butterfly Cavern," she replied. "Michael gave me this necklace."

Axel said nothing. He simply stared at me, waiting for me to explain further.

Elixean began slowly, "It was only about noon. Michael and I always hung out at the beach…."

"Do you know who Michael is? Or where he came from?" Axel interrogated, trying to spark some thoughts.

She closed her eyes. "No… but I know how I can figure it out." She jumped up, running to the back of the Butterfly Cavern. She ran up to a pile of sand, digging through it. Right where she had expected, from some memory she couldn't imagine she'd actually remembered, laid a box, locked with a small silver lock. "I don't have a key, but… It's important somehow."

Suddenly she began to think. "Axel… this is a dream…" she murmured. "So what's going to happen when we wake up?"  
Axel shook his head. "I'm not waking up, yet, Elixean," he replied. She stared back at him.

"Why not? Aren't you tired of sleeping?" she interrogated rather fiercely.

"You're not going to wake up, either," he mumbled, disregarding her question. "You and I were both here to find something. We can't leave this dream without consciously finding what we're looking for."

Elixean blinked, confused. "And what are we looking for?"

He half-smiled. "Answers." He turned, continuing, "And memories. You're trying to find out why we're here, and who exactly Michael was… and I'm trying to figure out why I'm drawn to you the way I am."

For once, the blond girl was stunned into silence.

Once more he turned to face her, quietly explaining, "In the clutches of the Prison, I never wanted to let you out of my sight. I was protective… more than I've ever been for anyone. And I didn't, and still don't, understand why."

Elixean echoed, perplexedly, "Drawn to me?"

He smiled awkwardly. But he didn't reply. He turned, beginning towards the exit of the cave.

Elixean called pitifully "Wait." She ran after him, grasping his elbow and pulling him slightly. "When I watched the picture of me and Michael on the wall I relived a memory. And I always drew pictures of important events on the wall. Maybe… I can figure something out about why you may be drawn to me so much."

He stopped, looking back at her. He sighed submissively, sitting cross-legged on the ground. Elixean let go, walking backwards and staring around. There had to be a picture or something. There was no other way to know how they could know each other but through memories.

She turned abruptly, feeling as though someone had just brushed past her sleeve. She turned, suddenly facing a wall that was hidden in shadows. The pictures were faded out, but they were vaguely familiar. She slowly began forward, and Axel stood, coming to walk beside her. She stared at an image; one of her drawings of a tall man in what Elixean assumed was an Organization cloak. She lifted her hand, tracing the sides, and as Axel joined her, they were both brought into a flashback.

Elixean once more became Elaine, and Axel was nowhere to be seen. Elaine sat on the each, staring at the still entrancing shell that showed a Nobody. She looked up, hearing a voice.

"Do you live here?" queried a haunting voice. Elaine's eyes shot up, the slate blue spheres wide with confusion and uneasiness.

"Yes," Elaine replied to the man whose face was hidden by the black hood. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering," he replied. He took a step forward, and, slowly, trying to look casual, Elaine got to her feet in front of him. He removed his hood, his fiery red hair still as perfectly placed as it always was. "I've been coming here for a while," the lanky man explained, "and I've seen you around the each. I was wondering if you might actually live here."

"Why wouldn't I?" she replied, looking puzzled. Then she blinked. "Oh, you know about Michael?"

He nodded. "A little bit." He paused, then continued, "I knew he didn't belong here, at least. He's a special person. Far different from you and me." Once more he took a quiet breath, and he asked politely, "Think you could show me the island? I've only seen a few bits and pieces of it, you know, only the beaches. I thought I'd like to see how your island differs from another I visited."

Elaine hadn't expected that there were other islands, but Michael had to have come from somewhere. She smiled, nodding enthusiastically. "Alright. But I'm saving the best place for last." She held her finger up to her lips. "Because it's a secret place."

He followed after her as she began traipsing through the sand, losing all of her distrust and wariness of this man. Looking back over her shoulder and slowing down, she inquired, "What's your name?"

"Axel. Yours is Elaine, isn't it?"

Without reason, Elaine's heart soared as she heard her name called by the stranger. She nodded warmly. "Yeah. It's good to meet you, Axel," she chimed harmoniously. She looked back to where she'd laid down the little mirror shell. What would Axel see if he stared into its reflective surface? She didn't have time to go back and get it; there was a guest to what she considered to be her island, and it was her duty to entertain him until she knew what she was supposed to do.

She took a well-trodden trail up the beach onto a boardwalk. Now off of the beach, the breeze was warm, and the ocean glimmered beautifully over to the ends of the horizon. Elaine led Axel along the long wooden boardwalk, pointing and introducing Axel to several buildings that were rarely visible beyond the thick layer of trees and grasses. The walk was long, but seemingly short as the two laughed and chatted idly. Elaine tried not to be offended or discouraged by Axel's seeming defensiveness. He seemed like he had a lot to hide, and it was no business of hers what he knew.

"When have you been to the island, Axel?" she asked as they turned off down a short flight of wooden stairs that led to the main town.

"Usually when there are large events occurring," he replied. "I like to see all the people together. It gives me a feeling of acceptance."

Elaine cast him a curious glance, and he shrugged.

"It's not exactly accurate to say that…" he began, thinking out loud. "I feel accepted, even though I'm not with them. It's hard to explain."

"Oh," Elaine replied softly.

For a moment, the two walked in silence, and Elaine looked in the direction of her and Michael's school. A bell rang, and Elaine murmured, "They're at lunch now."

"Would you like to go say hello to him?" Axel asked politely.

Elaine shook her head. "No," she sighed. "I have to show you a few more places. We're running out of time before my mom finished out I'm gone, and before school gets out." She took his hand, dragging him behind her as she took off running.

Her ponytail danced around behind her, her lengthy strides spewing sand all over the place. Once or twice she nearly tripped, almost taking Axel down with her, and both agreed that, for safety, she would no longer hold his hand. Now capable of running side by side, the two found that his smooth, seemingly effortless gait and her light, quick steps were an equal match. Elaine skidded to a halt, and Axel slowed a few steps ahead of her. She turned her royal blue eyes to Axel.

"You alright with swimming?" she asked uncertainly.

He shifted nervously, and shook his head. "Not in this." With his thumb and index finger, he pulled at his fancy looking black coat.

Elaine's face turned slightly red as he unzipped his coat, all the way down to meet the other zipper that was halfway up to his thighs. He slipped off his robe over his head, now wearing only long, tight black pants. Naturally, Elaine couldn't help but blush at the sight of his thin, but smooth, and brawny physique. He grinned sheepishly at her.

"Not to embarrass you or anything," he chuckled. "But it makes it easier for me. Don't want to screw up something so expensive."

Elaine shook her head. "I don't get embarrassed," she lied.

"Right," Axel scoffed skeptically, striding over to the water's edge. He looked over his shoulder at Elaine, and she grinned, taking off with a run and then jumping into the ocean's tide. She had a large lung capacity; she was underwater as she swam out, against the current, for fifteen feet, before she came up for a breath. She turned back to the shore, only to find Axel gone.

She looked around, and then felt a quick tug on her shorts. She bobbed under the surface, and when she came up, Axel came up with her. He wiped water out of his eyes, and Elaine giggled.

Without a word, the two dove off, Axel following after Elaine as she led him out to the first of two of her secret hangouts. She circled a small island about a fourth of a mile off of the coast, looking puzzled. "I have to circle the island about fifteen times before I can ever find the dumb ladder," she mumbled irritably. She turned towards the island as she heard a loud, intentional splash of water; Axel was pulling himself up without any trouble.

Elaine sighed inwardly. He found out where the ladder was, on his first visit here, sooner than she had been able to in fifteen years of her nearly seventeen years of life.

Once he'd reached the top of the ladder, he turned towards her, reaching out to take her hand. Despite his scrawny appearance, he was strong. He pulled her up easily with barely any help other than her push off of a rung on the ladder. She wrung out her ponytail, brushing her bangs out of her eyes, before she looked around.

"This is like a bus stop," Elaine explained.

Axel's head tilted slightly. "How?"

"For the reason that this island was named Butterfly Cavern," the brunette replied warmly. "The Butterflies."

She turned around, whistling. Her whistle was shrill, but melodious, a gorgeous tune that echoed across the ocean waves. She took Axel's hand again.

"Are you afraid of heights?" Elaine asked brazenly.

Axel blinked his gorgeous eyes, then shook his head. "Nope."

"Good!" she giggled. "Then you won't mind falling for a few seconds?"

"Only if, at the end of the seconds, I don't go 'squish'," he replied warily. "Why?"

Elaine didn't reply, she jumped, and, refusing to let go of Axel's hand, he fell with her; a spray of ocean water hit their face for a brief moment, but then it was all washed away as they landed steadily on the back of a large golden butterfly. Axel's eyes were wide as the moon as Elaine prepared to pull the butterfly upward, into the clouds.

"W-wait!" he choked out over the wind. "Is this safe?"

Elaine stared back at him skeptically. "Remind me… am I still alive?" she scoffed. She gently dug her heels into the butterfly's thorax, and its wings began to flutter faster. Elaine called back to her companion, "Hang on!"

"To _what?_" he replied, horrified. He wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling awkward as he did so, but it seemed better than falling into the ocean far below. Elaine laughed, brushing her hair out of her face. The wind flew past them, and everything seemed to flow in such slow motion; the rhythmic stroking of the creature's wings, catching a warm ocean updraft, Elaine's own body moving in time with the butterfly's beat, like an expert rider would, and Axel, as inexperienced as he was, his face lit with awe.

Axel was caught off guard by Elaine. As they rode up towards the sun, barely seeming to move, he watched her, her lean figure, examining every little detail of hers, from the gentle, lengthy black eyelashes that shaded her crystalline blue eyes to her stylish, if not somewhat lazy, attire of black Capri's and a warm shirt. Her skin was glowing under the light of the sun, and her hair flowed like a cool waterfall.

Elaine cast a glance over to look back at him, blinking, because she noticed beauty in and of him, as well. A beauty he didn't see in himself; a beauty that no Nobody was supposed to possess. She felt a little thrill, examining him as he was her, and they caught each other's glances.

Shyly, she looked quickly forward, bringing the butterfly down towards the water. Their feet skimmed just above the crest of the waves, misted by the cool spray, and the butterfly's strokes began to slow, bringing them closer. They saw the island only a few yards away, and Axel felt a little disappointed as the butterfly slowed to a halt.

The two crawled off, and Elaine looked backwards, to the main island; she could hear the school bell, echoing over the ocean's crashing waves. School was over. She sighed; Michael would be there to ruin her fun soon. She turned to face Axel, but to her dismay, he was gone. She looked around wildly, blinking. Where could he have gone?

"Axel?" she called.

Elixean stood to her full height, blinking her eyes as though she hadn't blinked in a long time. She whirled around. "Axel…" she whispered. Softly, she whispered, "You came… to my island. To meet me."

Axel stood beside her, taking a step away from the wall. He shook his head. "No; I'd know that…"

Elixean stared at the man, tall beside her, who looked so utterly defeated. She looked back to the picture, but no longer did it sit there, faded. It was gone. She blinked. Had that been….?

"It was a false memory," Axel said quietly.

Before Elixean could understand what was happening, Axel faded, and the floor beneath her shattered, leaving her wallowing uselessly in the shadows of the dream.


	5. Part Five:: Worth My Heart

Nobody Important- Part Five

Awakened from a dream, a dream of memories, the strange, unique Nobody is forced to wonder which parts were real, which weren't, and how to differentiate the two. And if the dreams are fake, then who is altering her mind and her heart to give her memories she only wishes she had? As Elixean begins to walk with the waking, and the half-dead Axel, she'll have to choose the path of light or dark, or face death in between the two roads.

The moon, hanging high over the world as a slim crescent, cast a pale shimmer on the lithe bodies as they slithered through the air and skimmed the ground, their zipper-toothed mouths emitting low hisses. Their gelatin-like bodies wriggled as they rushed towards their destination. Blended with the shadows, the creatures slunk back and forth between the soft light of dark and the harsh dark of light. At their steady, rapid speeds, their lithe bodies were nearly impossible to follow.

On the other side of the town of Twilight, a black-cloaked body laid waiting, rested upon a soaring terrace wall. Her hood was removed, dark black-sapphire staring into air and space, almost through it. Long waist-length hair fluttered in a breeze, only to lay over the girl's back, over her slim, curved shape. Both eyes were hidden by the bangs, giving them a dark coat. Her black cloak had once more been adorned upon her body; instead of her original clothes she'd been given.

The girl's eyes were perceptive, narrowed, catching every slight movement. She felt every breeze, smelled every new scent, and could hear presences coming at her from all sides. It was time she joined them down below. Long, whipping tendrils of raven-colored blackness enveloped her, and wind blew her hair about. She disappeared, and intermingled with the darkness, unbeknownst to her, was small ripples of light which the darkness recoiled from.

She appeared on the ground far below, her arms folded over her chest, and once more she grew distant and thoughtful. The creatures drew nearer and nearer every second, and she could do nothing but wait, or else she would break the truce. Thoughts raced through her head, like wolves in the forest, and these were the wolves of her past, hunting her mercilessly until she was devoured by their intensity.

The wave of hissing monsters flooded in upon her from every direction, suffocating her in a tight circle of oblivious hatred. They slithered backwards, stumbling away from another portal like hers that appeared just in front of her. Out of the darkness appeared a tall, barrel-chested man appeared, with his pale skin sort of glowing in the darkness. His royal blue eyes were almost sympathetic as they searched the girl over.

"You know this won't turn out well for you," Zexion pointed out cautiously. There was no answer. "Elixean," he began again, "life will be hell if you come with me."

Elixean clutched her arms tightly, and then relaxed, letting her arms fall to her side. She nodded. "Axel's freedom is more important to me than my own life."

Zexion let out a sigh. "I know." He stepped to the side, and he beckoned towards the portal. Without another word, Elixean took the few steps forward towards the darkness. The darkness hissed in her presence, and she hesitated, glancing at Zexion. He himself looked puzzled by the way the shadow moved away from her, but he gave her a gentle nudge, shooing her into the darkness.

He followed quickly, though his steps were silent as he moved, and he edged forward to her side. Her strides were long, and she ached to get out of this hole; the darkness shrieked as she walked, and occasionally tendrils would lash at her, whipping at her face. She'd never had this problem before she'd had the dream.

Elixean froze and put her hand up to her neck; her gloved fingers came across a thin chain, and she traced her fingers down the chain to a crystal carved into a heart. It sparkled like a firefly, even in the place where light wasn't supposed to exist.

Zexion turned to her, and his eyes locked onto the necklace. "Where did you get that?"

Elixean's eyes turned upwards to face him, and in an enchanted voice she replied, "In a dream."

The raven-haired man narrowed his eyes, and he warned her quietly, "They'll take it away from you."

Her fingers tightened around the gem, and her eyes grew dark and hot like blue fire. She continued to walk forward, and the darkness grew still. Something wasn't right with this Nobody…

Zexion waved his hand slowly, and another dark portal opened, leading into Castle Oblivion, the base of the Organization. Elixean kept her steady pace; she refused to be daunted by the tall castle walls. The portal behind her closed and Zexion grasped her upper arm, dragging her after him to Xemnas' room. Now Elixean's movements grew slower, and she began to quake. She could only remember the Nobody Prison. Everything she'd ever seen faded away from her mind, except for the Prison. Her heart began to thump. What was she thinking? She'd handed herself over to the Prison. Not just to the Organization. The Prison.

A door opened, and Xemnas' cat-like amber eyes burned into Zexion's. "So she put up no struggles, I'd assume?"

Zexion nodded. "Yes, Superior. She came quietly as she promised us she would."

The leader nodded. "Good." He turned around, and he strode over to a chair. He turned once more and faced Zexion who still held Elixean's arm with a death-grip. He nodded his head. "Please come have a seat, Elixean. We're very pleased to have you join us."

Zexion gave Elixean a quick glance, but her gaze was straight forward. Her eyes flickered, like she'd finally realized what she was doing. Zexion released her arm, and she staggered forward. She turned her back to Xemnas and sank into the chair, her eyes still locked ahead. She was desperate; Axel had to be revived.

Zexion stepped forward, as though to enter, but Xemnas interrupted him sharply, "Go gather the remaining Organization members, Zexion. We need to keep our end of the bargain." His face remained emotionless. "We have things to discuss."

Zexion dipped his head and backed out, quietly shutting the door as he left. Now Elixean was left at the mercy of Xemnas. She could have easily used a portal to escape, but she just… she couldn't. The darkness had turned against her. She was more afraid to be eaten by the darkness than she was to be here.

Xemnas began to pace behind her, and he was silent. Elixean heard the gentle, constant steps he took, and in some way the constant noise soothed her.

Finally the blonde murmured, "I don't understand my purpose here anymore, Xemnas."

Xemnas turned to her and he rested his hand on her shoulder. She closed her eyes; a cold chill flew down her spine, and then he stepped away, to face the window of his room, replying to her, "Nobodies have no purpose, Elixean… you've been a Nobody long enough to understand that."

She opened her eyes and stared at the floor by her feet. She murmured quietly, "Perhaps not." She heard Xemnas slow his steps, and she knew he was waiting for her to speak more. She nodded once and whispered, "What am I to you? To the Organization?"

Xemnas thought carefully, too long. He thought for several minutes before he answered, "You are only an experiment, an oddity. You are a test subject."

She blinked once, and her throat tightened. She rasped, "What do I have to offer that some other Nobody cannot?"

Once more there was silence, and a final answer that shocked Elixean. "A heart."

Quickly she answered, "You're joking."

Xemnas stood in front of her, and he narrowed his eyes. "You are more than just a Nobody, Elixean. You are more than just an empty shell of a once-living human being. You have a strong will, a strong emotion. We, the Organization, have watched you channel your hatred; sadness, love, and caring that none of us have been capable of creating. You can access your memories through dreams." He leaned by her face. "You have died and returned, and in those times of death you have learned what we cannot."

He stood upright and turned away, staring at the door. "Elixean, you kept something with you that none of us can remember ever having."

Elixean stared at her feet.

Xemnas turned towards her once more, and he explained, "You are our guinea pig, Elixean. Our duty is to test the strength, the prowess, of your heart. We will strain you until you can barely lift yourself off the floor. And then we will push you harder, we will threaten, we will hurt." His voice grew sharp and intense. Then, quietly, he added, "This cannot be what you want. Axel is not worth this much care, this much pain."

Elixean rose to her feet, and she moved forward to stare Xemnas in the face. "It is what I want. Axel is worth my heart."

Xemnas looked surprised by the ferocity in her voice. He dipped his head. "Very well." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two silver bracelets. He held them in his palm, and he offered them to Elixean.

She took them and slipped them into her own pockets, raising her chin.

Xemnas explained, "You cannot be trusted with your powers in our care. These bracelets are created to nullify any powers you may attempt to use."

Elixean nodded once, and she looked down at the ground. Xemnas stood for a moment, without a word, and then he added, "Once you put them on, only I or Vexen can remove them."

"Good for you guys," Elixean grumbled sarcastically. She'd been here long enough. It was time to get her edge back! She stared evenly into Xemnas' eyes, and she growled, "I'll stay here on a couple conditions…"

Xemnas raised an eyebrow, and he awaited her demands.

"I want one person to check on me daily. Lest I commit suicide with something in the room," she began. "I want a change of clothes every few days. This stupid robe is making me hot. And I want you to promise not to hurt Axel."

Xemnas nodded. "Agreed." He smirked. "We had no plans of attacking your former party members until we finish with you."

"Even after, do _not_ touch Axel."

"We understand, Elixean," the silver-gray haired man answered. "It's time for us to join the Organization on the thirteenth floor."

Elixean nodded, and Xemnas extended his hand to her, opening a portal. She stepped away from him. "If you don't mind, Xemnas," she murmured, "I need to walk."

Xemnas blinked a few times, but he nodded, disappearing into the darkness. Elixean's muscles relaxed as the darkness faded, and she exited the room with a quick run. She couldn't use the dark portals anymore; she swore they were going to kill her if she entered again. Boy, she was going to get a good workout now. She leaped up the stairs, and a wind picked up, carrying her to the top step. Her powers were acting by themselves, to help her to the best of their ability. It was strange… everything seemed alive now.

Elixean felt as though no time had passed when she reached the top floor. The other members were already gathered, standing around, waiting, as she raced into the upper room. She was panting hard, and her eyes had taken a blazing edge.

Larxene, closest to the stairs, snickered, "What, you afraid that the darkness is going to kill you?"

Elixean nodded, and she replied brazenly, "Yeah." She strode forward, into the center of the group, and she whispered, "Take me where I need to go."

Xemnas murmured, "There will be time for that later, Elixean."

"Right now," Zexion began, "we need to hold up our end of the bargain."

Vexen stepped forward and murmured quietly, "I have to go alone. We can't risk losing you, our pet experiment."

She narrowed her eyes to him. "Alright. Bring Axel back."

Vexen nodded and disappeared in a flurry of darkness and ice, leaving Elixean to the will of the other Organization members. They stood silently, slowly and subtly surrounding her, while saying nothing to the finally defeated Season Writer.

Suddenly she found a small, crystal clear marble in her palm, and Zexion stepped away. "Even while we hold you in our grasp, we wouldn't dare try to keep you from your loved ones," he explained. "You had a marble like this at one point, when you first met Sora and his friends. You were watching Axel as he died." He gave her a friendly smile. "You can watch him again, as long as you remember him."

Elixean stared at him and nodded, placing the marble in her pocket. Then she looked to Xemnas and growled threateningly, "I believe I demanded a change of clothes."

The silvery-white haired man nodded once, and he snapped his fingers; darkness swirled around Elixean, and when it settled, she wore a black tank-top, long jean shorts, and black tennis shoes, with her hair tied back into a ponytail with a long black ribbon. She nodded at Xemnas gratefully, and then examined the marble closely. She turned it several different directions, twisting it in between her fingers that were now bare. Around her neck she still wore the necklace, and for that she was grateful; they hadn't stolen the memory.

In the small spherical stone, a picture began to swirl in, like sand from a sandstorm rushing through the glass. It was Axel, still laying on the ground, with Furor sleeping beside him, his broad white chest heaving in loud snores. In her head, Elixean could hear the sound of footsteps as Vexen approached Axel's motionless body quietly. Vexen crouched, and he lay his hand over Axel's chest, letting it hover a millimeter above. Then small particles of ice began to rise up through Axel's black robe, melting into Vexen's palm. Then the particles began to flood more quickly from his body, quickly, as if they were happy to leave the deadly still body.

Then the ice flow began to slow, until no more particles appeared, and color returned to Axel's body in a flood. He shot up with a gasp, only to find Vexen missing. Elixean slipped the marble into her pocket, feeling the two silver bracelets cooling her fingers, and she looked up, placing them on as Vexen appeared.

"The deed is done," Vexen told Elixean sweetly.

"Good," Elixean muttered. She crossed her arms over her chest; the bracelets, as they passed each other, jingled. Then she felt the bracelets tighten to the form of her wrist, and a foreboding began to rise in the pit of her belly. Now there was no way to get out.

"You will be resting in the basement," Xemnas explained. "I will, as promised, allow visitors, but they will always be accompanied by me."

"Fine," Elixean consented, letting her arms fall to her side. "Just take me there so I can sleep." She stretched her arms high over her head, yawning. She rubbed her eye and mumbled, "I woke up at midnight for you guys." She corrected herself inwardly, _For Axel._

Xemnas looked to Zexion and Demyx, two of Elixean's closest remaining friends, and they each took one of her arms. Xemnas led the way, and they walked down the Castle Oblivion's first basement, where Xemnas input a quick code and entered.

The journey was a blur to Elixean. Without her abilities to help her out, she had nothing to keep her awake. She trudged along, basically behind the others, while they had to bear with her and drag her along. As they reached her little prison room, they helped her to her bed, and instantly she blacked out.

After several hours—eighteen, to be exact—Elixean's dark sapphire eyes fluttered open, and she sat up, staring drowsily around. The room was dark, but she could barely make out her surroundings. She was lying on a bed that hung from the wall, like a jailhouse bed, on top of thrashed and trashed covers. She must have been sleeping hard. On the other side of the room was a door, illuminated by glowing circuit that made the door unbreakable, and beside the door was a table. On the table lay her necklace, and wrapped in the coil of the necklace was the marble.

Elixean sat up, placing her bare feet on the cold floor, taking in a sharp breath as the cold sunk in. On most days, cold like that wouldn't affect her. But, of course, she still had no powers. She suddenly smelled a savory fragrance, and she turned to the wall to her left; a secret panel in the wall had slid open, and a nice meal of rice, smoked salmon and sautéed vegetables sat waiting. Elixean stood up, feeling her stomach growl, and she slunk towards the plate, snatching it up and closing the secret panel. She returned to her bed, picking up the fork and digging in to the vegetables.

She ate the meal ravenously, and then set the plate on the floor and curled up under the blanket, laying her head on the pillow and falling back into a deep sleep.

When Elixean awoke eight hours later, she heard footsteps out in the hall. She leapt to her feet, adjusting her hair, clasping the necklace around her neck, and placing the marble in her pocket. When the approaching member reached the door, she'd be very presentable.

She heard the click of small buttons, then a beep, and the door opened. White light flooded over Elixean's tall, lanky body, and she covered her eyes with her hand, blocking the blinding beam that streamed in. Xemnas appeared, and he murmured, "Six days of each week you will train with the members of the Organization. Each day you will train with a different Organization member. On Sunday you will have the day off to get yourself ready for Monday in whatever ways you see fit."

Elixean nodded, letting her hand fall to her side. "You realize that you have more members than you have days of the week?" she warned unsteadily.

Xemnas nodded. "Indeed. You will be able to request who to train with, but you must train with different members each day of the week."

Elixean nodded again, and she answered, "Fine. Does my training start today, or are we doing something else?"

The Superior replied quickly, "Today Vexen will test you on several different levels. What he does is no business of mine. You must obey his commands to the letter, or we will punish you."

Elixean stared at him defiantly, and she scoffed. "How do you intend to do that?"

"You'll see eventually," he chuckled to himself. He turned. "Come, Elixean. Vexen is waiting for you on his floor." He grabbed her wrist, and before she could protest he took her into a portal, instantly tossing her out into the bright white-tiled hallway.

She caught herself steadily, glaring at the last wisps of shadow that faded from nothing. Then she turned back to a light laughing sound, scowling at Vexen. "Shut up," she snapped immaturely. "He pushed me."

Vexen nodded, and he replied with an amused smile, "Oh, I know. It was still funny."

Elixean snarled, "Just get on with this whole freaking process."

Vexen silenced himself, with an apparent amount of effort, and he explained, "I need to do a quick scan through your memories… What you know is more than the average Nobody understands, and we need to see how detailed your memories are."

Elixean frowned and answered, "Fine."

Vexen beckoned her forward, and slowly she moved towards him, her steps cautious. How did he intend to gather her memories? She stopped when she was only a step ahead of him, and she stared at him with cold eyes. He simply reached forward to her with his palm facing up, staring at her without a word. Slowly Elixean placed her hand in his, and she felt a wave move over her, a wave that filled her with contrary emotions. Was she exhausted, or tireless? Was she frightened or brave? The conflicting emotions dizzied her, and she sank to the floor.

Vexen released her hand, stepping back and pulling several cards out of his sleeve, flipping through them quickly, examining how each card looked. He frowned once or twice as he shuffled through the deck, but he never said a word.

Feeling a bit better, Elixean rose to her feet, staring at Vexen and waiting for something to be said. Finally he slipped the cards, all but one or two, back into his pocket, and he said, "You are very peculiar. You remember far more than what you know you remember."

Elixean's eyes flashed. "Okay, really, what does that mean?" she hissed.

Vexen smiled, handing her two cards. One was a picture of a boy with approximately three-inch long blonde hair and glimmering blue eyes, and the other was a picture of a blue-eyed man, who looked much like Axel, with dark blue hair. Who were these two…?

Elixean tossed the cards back at Vexen. "You can keep your riddles, Vexy. I hate trying to solve these things."

"They're part of your past, Elixean. They aren't riddles. They're memories."

Elixean turned her back to him and replied coldly, "I know that."

"And you don't want to figure anything out?" Vexen grew silent, and softly he finished, "Interesting." There were footsteps, then silence.

Elixean turned around, staring around to where Vexen had just been. He'd vanished. She called out in a voice of hurt and anger, "It's just like you all to leave me!"

Elixean stared at the stairs where he'd gone for a moment longer, and she clenched her fists. She hated these guys. Now they were just toying with her. A moment longer she stood, and then she turned to the door that led into Vexen's room. She was going to have some fun of her own, and 'fun' for her was a major neck-pain for someone else.

She strode towards it and barged right in. Just as she suspected. Empty. But there were a lot of glass things. She smiled devilishly, picking up a meter stick from the ground and swinging it around very slowly. Should she smash all of it or just most of it? Maybe if she smashed all of it they'd get the point.

She took one quick, heavy swing with the meter stick, nearly slicing clean through the first row of beakers. A strange excitement welled up inside of her. _Fine,_ she thought. _If they want to keep me captive then they better keep me captive where I can't destroy anything!_

She took another swing, then another back the other direction. What a waste of time. If all they potions and whatnot were on shelves, then why didn't she just break the shelves? She made a great effort to swing the stick harder than ever, right down the center of the top shelf, and it snapped in half. The potions and bottles and vials and beakers all fell to the floor and shattered, knocking other things down with it. So the one thing that was natural, apparently, the one thing that hadn't been given to her when she became a Nobody, was brute, terrible strength.

Panting, Elixean stared, smiling, at the awful mess. Fumes rose through the air, burning her eyes, and so she staggered backwards, startled by the potency. Maybe she should've left a bit more quickly. She felt light-headed. She whirled around and began to lumber out the door when suddenly she slammed into someone's burly chest.

Opening her eyes and glancing up, she spotted Lexaeus, looking horrified by what she'd done. He grabbed her wrist, yanking her out of the room and slamming the door, locking in the fumes.

"You are a real pain, Elixean. Xemnas warned you earlier, did he not?" the brawny man growled.

Before Elixean could reply, Vexen appeared, howling, "Elixean, you ruined everything in my room! You have ruined every experiment!" He stalked towards her, his eyes sparking with anger. Elixean stared back with the same intensity, and the same sadistic smile remained sewn onto her face.

Vexen snarled with his face right next to hers, "You're lucky that Xemnas already has a punishment chosen for you. If I had my way with you, girlie, you'd be back in the Prison, and your boyfriend would be frozen to the core."

Elixean's muscles tightened and she jerked against Lexaeus' grip, which now held both her wrists behind her back. With her eyes sparking defiance, she hissed in a cool, deadly voice, "If you touch Axel your precious experiments will be the least of this Organization's worries."

Vexen stepped away, and Larxene appeared with a sneer on her face. "The poor little toy just got in trouble, didn't she?" she jeered in a patronizing voice.

Elixean bared her teeth. She couldn't wait 'til it was time to train with Larxene! She'd kick her scrawny—

"Elixean."

Elixean's head jerked up to Xemnas. She tugged against Lexaeus' arms again, a bit less fervently, and her eyes narrowed. "Go ahead, say it. Talk down to me like I'm a dog, Xemmy. I dare you."

His breath caught in his throat, and Elixean smiled a demonic smile, her eyes sparking like fire. He clenched his fists, but instead of reacting to her he looked over his shoulder. "Zexion," Xemnas called. The boy strode over. "Lock Elixean in her room, and show her what happens when she lashes out."

Zexion walked over and took Elixean's left arm. She hadn't realized it, but Lexaeus had bound her hands together. She tugged against the chains that now held her hands, looking furious, but she didn't struggle as Zexion took her towards the stairs. But instead of heading down, shadows began to rise from the floor, and Elixean's chest began to heave as she began hyperventilating.

"No, please," Elixean begged. "I can't stand the shadows, Zexion, please don't make me go through."

She noticed him hesitate, but not for long. The shadows overcame the two, and instantly Elixean was thrown onto her back by the force of its malice for her. She snarled, but the shadows swallowed her whole, leaving her kicking her legs and thrashing around like she was having a seizure. And then she could no longer struggle, and she became still.

•••••••

Axel sat on Furor's back, clutching the massive hound's sharp white fur as the two sprinted through Twilight Town. _She has to be here somewhere, _Axel insisted to himself, but he knew she was gone. To where? He didn't know, but he knew she'd left them all. Wind flew through Axel's hair, across his face and into his eyes, and they watered from it, and from something else. Elixean was gone. For all he knew, he would never see her again.

Furor raced to the top of the terrace and skidded to a halt by its edge, panting heavily. His clear silver eyes flickered around, and occasionally whimpers came out from between his tight lips. He looked back at Axel, still panting, and he rasped, "She's nowhere to be seen. No signs."

"Can't you reach her telepathically?" Axel suggested for about the fiftieth time.

Tired of arguing, Furor closed his eyes and felt his mind begin to wander off, searching only for her. He opened his eyes shortly. "Nothing. Nor can I hear anything from the Nobodies."

Axel frowned, fiddling with the fur he gripped. He muttered, "That's not a good sign."

Furor sighed, his chest still heaving. "No, it isn't. There are very few possibilities to explain Elixean's absence. One: The Organization killed Elixean. Two: Elixean killed the Organization, thus killing herself."

"Three: She doesn't want to be found," Axel added darkly. Furor caught his eye, and Axel murmured, "You know how she is, how she always was."

Furor's eyes narrowed and he turned his head back to stare over the city. He growled shortly, "Yes. I know."

Axel swallowed, and he kicked Furor's sides with his heels. "We better get back to Sora and the others. I bet they haven't had any luck either."

Furor's ear flicked and he leaped down the terra onto the hill, and then loped down from the hill to the train station. Seeing as he was too large to fit into a train, he trotted along the tracks with his tail dragging. He and Axel were silent, and that left Axel to his thoughts.

_I never told her how much I loved her_, Axel thought miserably. _We knew each other for so long but we never even knew we did. What if she falls for another Organization member?_ He heard Furor snicker, and Axel leaned over to glare into the beast's face. "What?"

"You honestly believe that she could love another more than you?" He looked back to the street, shaking his broad head. "I can't believe she's in love with you. _You, _of all people she could love."

Axel's emerald eyes narrowed. "Hey, it can't be that bad to be in love with me, can it?" he growled.

Furor murmured, "Maybe. Maybe not. You two are just too alike, I believe. Opposites attract, Axel. Opposites. What you two share is something unique, and what you share will drive you apart."

Axel was quiet now, once more considering everything. _Opposites. I can think of a few opposites…_ His fists clenched at the thought, and the muscles beneath the fur jerked. Furor glared up at him.

"Ease off. He hasn't been around since…" Furor paused to think. "Well, he hasn't been around for a long time. The chances of him finding her…"

"But what about the other guy?" Axel insisted.

Furor was silent as he heard Axel's thoughts, and the hound burst into a thick, bellowing laughter. "You think he has a shot with her?" It was all he could do to keep from falling over in his laughter.

Axel's face grew angry. "I'm serious, Furor! I don't want to lose her!"

Furor sighed, all his laughter spent, and he rumbled firmly now, "That _boy_ has no chance with Elixean, Axel. Don't worry about it." Though Furor wondered if their conversation had just jinxed their words.

Finally the usual spot came into view, and Furor sprang towards it with his tail swaying from side to side. He crouched and squeezed through the gate, coming in on Sora, Kairi, Riku, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Donald, and Goofy. The dog lay down on his belly, and Axel slid off his back, landing softly on the ground. With a sigh, Furor rumbled, "I assume you know that we could not find her, nor could we find a trace of her ever being here."

"It's so weird," Sora murmured absently. Riku didn't look concerned, but inside Axel knew he was as concerned as everyone else.

Kairi kept scuffing her feet on the floor, her eyes turned downward. Finally she said, "I just can't believe she didn't tell any of us what was happening."

Hayner said simply, "Hey, she knew what she was doing. Whatever it was that she did, Axel's alive again."

"I was never dead," Axel retorted hotly. And then it dawned on him. "The only person who could unfreeze me was Vexen. What if…"

Furor interrupted, growling, "She made a deal with the Organization. If they brought Axel back she'd…" He trailed off. What would she give them in return? His eyes widened, and he gasped, "They want her heart. They want Linae."

Olette gave Furor a puzzled stare. "What's a linae?

Furor frowned, and slowly he explained, "The essence of Elixean's heart. It's not a something, it's a someone."

Hayner shot Furor a disbelieving smirk. "So what you're saying is that people's hearts are actually people?" he scoffed.

Furor returned Hayner's gaze with narrowed eyes. "The essence, young one. What you're thinking of—a living, beating heart—is nothing like the essence of a heart. The essence of your heart determines who you are, and how you act. On most occasions… But Elixean's heart essence…."

Axel finished up, "It's different with her. She is part of the Third Lights."

"The what?" Sora echoed curiously.

Furor sat up. "The Third Lights, described by a head for mentality, arms for strength, and a heart for emotions."

"What do those have to do with Elixean exactly?" Pence asked.

"The three parts of Elixean. Elaine, her Somebody, is the head, mentality. Elixean is the arms, for strength. And Linae is the heart, for emotions. And Linae is much more powerful than any Nobody, Somebody, or Heartless could even imagine."

"So we're dealing with something really bad if they get Linae, then," Riku mused. "Like end of the universe type bad?"

Furor grimaced. "End of everything," he corrected. Everyone gasped or winced.

"So what do we do?" Kairi asked.

Furor shook his head. "I don't know. We don't know where to find any of them."

Axel said hopefully, "I bet we could check Castle Oblivion and the World That Never Was. We had two bases, so… they're likely to be there."

Furor nodded. "Our best bet is to split into two groups and search both bases."

Sora stood and said thoughtfully, "Hayner, Pence and Olette really better not come." They stared at him, their jaws hanging with disbelief, and he flinched, explaining, "Well, you can't really do anything if you find them."

Hayner clenched his fists. "Yeah, we can beat the pulp out of them!"

Olette agreed with Sora, as did Pence. "It makes sense, Hayner," Olette said softly. "We'd just get in the way."

He growled in irritation, but he sat again.

"I'm going with Sora!" Donald and Goofy said together. Sora nodded, and they stood beside him.

Axel leaped onto Furor's back again. "I'm with this guy," he muttered.

Kairi looked at Riku, and then at Axel. "I guess I can go with you, so Riku can go with Sora."

Furor's ears flicked, and he muttered, "Hey, that's two Keyblade masters in one group, plus a magician and a guard. Our group only has a giant dog, a pyro, and Kairi."

Kairi spat indignantly, "Hey, don't I count for something?"

Furor replied shortly, "No." Obviously the two didn't get along that well.

Kairi tensed, and she growled, "If they're going to be so mean I'd rather stay here."

"Good," Furor retorted. Shadows flew up from the ground, and Furor and Axel disappeared.

Once inside the shadows, Furor trotted along, completely silent, and obviously expecting Axel to say something. And of course the mind-reader knows when a conversation will begin.

Axel took in a deep breath and sighed, "What was that all about?"

Furor's ear flicked. He answered firmly, "You and I know what is happening to Elixean, and having others try to intrude upon our knowledge is not something I enjoy, Axel. We can help her, and they can't. I have to help her." He let out a sigh. "She is my best friend."

Axel shifted on Furor's back, and he added with a sigh, "She's mine, too. And she's important to the fate of the worlds. We can't lose her."

Furor nodded, and he leaped through the portal that appeared beneath his paws, his mind set on one thing, and only one thing. He did not wish to rescue Elixean. Elixean wouldn't matter if Linae was taken. Nothing would matter if Linae was taken. Furor sighed, feeling his claws dig into dirt outside of the World That Never Was. He had a feeling that he would be too late, and then the end would come.

•••••••

_Breathe. Don't forget to breathe._ The ocean tugged gently at her ponytail, each wave trying to bring her back to the shore. She continued to kick at the water, treading it with little effort, her breaths coming in and out in a steady pattern. She looked around, and her eyes suddenly locked on a figure sitting on the beach. She'd seen the figure before, but she'd never really _seen_ it like she was seeing it now.

It had started happening about a month ago. She'd open her eyes on the beach and sit up, staring around like something had woken her up. The figure would be there, dressed completely in black with their face hidden. She'd seen the figure try to speak, with their mouth moving and everything, but it was like the figure wasn't even there. First she'd passed it off as an illusion, a mirage from the heat and the cool together creating images in the air, but then the images had been reappearing, even clearer than before, and she could vaguely make out words. They were whispers, but words nonetheless.

Now the figure stood about ten yards away, with their face no longer hidden, and their outfit changed. She didn't know how she knew it was the same person, but she did. She stared at it with a feeling of anxiety. The figure just stared back with puzzled eyes. The person, obviously a girl, had long blonde hair and dark blue eyes. And markings on her face, just below her eyes. She'd never met her before, but she just… knew who she was. Or, at least, knew that she was here to see her.

Finally she could make out what the girl on the beach was saying, and only by the movements of her mouth. "Who are you?"

"Elaine!"

Elaine whirled around, towards an island a yard away, only to see no one there, and when she turned the figure had disappeared. _I don't get it_, Elaine thought, with a bit of fear pulsing through her. _I don't know her, and she doesn't know me. It just… it can't be. I'm seeing things, like he said…_ But no matter what she told herself she knew that what she was seeing was real. Someone—someone she didn't know that she knew—was looking for her, from somewhere outside of the Butterfly Cavern. And whoever they were, they were trying to send an ominous message to her.

•••••••

Elixean shot up, then sank back down as dizziness overcame her muscles. She fell onto her back, staring up into blackness, and she wondered if she'd really fallen into the darkness, or if it was just a dream. And that's when she noticed the dim light pulsing over her body. As soon as she tried to focus on it, it disappeared, like an alley cat slinking into its shadowy hiding hole. On most days, this would worry her, but today her head hurt, and she didn't care. She sat up, definitely more slowly, and she looked around. She was back in her room, laid on the bed, and a terrible pain racked her body.

As a spasm of that strange pain pulsed through her she clutched her stomach, flopping back and rolling onto her side. She shivered, and grabbed the blanket, wrapping it tightly around her. Before she could close her eyes, however, she felt a presence, and she heard soft breaths, almost like a whispered song, but she couldn't think of what it was. Fear began to pulse through her as the presence began to approach, still singing its song. Elixean curled into a ball, trying to hide. She had only been here for about three days and she was already going psycho.

"Four days," the voice corrected.

Elixean shot up again, and even though the dizziness threatened to bring her down, she fought it and tried to focus her eyes on something in the dark. However, there was nothing there. The song continued to be hummed, and Elixean cupped her hands over her ears. "Stop it," she hissed. It grew louder. "Knock it off!"

A hot breeze began to brush Elixean's face, and she pushed away from it, cowering on her bed with her back pressed to the wall. It followed her, and Elixean could feel it as it stood only an inch from her face. The song remained loud, next to her ear, and she raised her face to the ceiling, letting out a heart-wrenching shriek that pierced through all thirteen floors and filled them with a new eerie silence. The silence moved away with a hiss, and then it was gone.

Elixean closed her eyes once more, and when she opened them, Zexion was holding her face, shaking her head softly. The lights were on in the room, and Xemnas stood behind Zexion, obviously shocked and worried.

Elixean didn't feel like she was really there. She could barely hear them as they spoke; it was like a wall of water separated her from them, and yet she could breathe and see. The sounds coming from them were muffled. She couldn't take her eyes off of Zexion's face. If she looked away, she was afraid she'd find the presence seated in the corner.

She listened to their conversation, though it was hard to hear over the sound of her own hyperventilation. Xemnas was yelling at Zexion. "What did you do to her?!" Xemnas demanded.

Zexion was shaking his head. "I didn't do it, Xemnas. The shadows…"

As soon as Zexion mentioned the shadows, Elixean jerked backwards, smacking her skull on the wall. She could almost feel her brain rattling inside, and her eyes tried to flicker shut, but Zexion lightly slapped her cheek several times. "Stay with me, Lix. You can't go back to sleep yet. The…" he trailed off and shook his head, obviously not sure what to say. He swallowed and said, "I think the shadows are in your head."

Elixean stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment, and then she began to chuckle. "I think they are, too," she sang, a little laughter still in her voice. Her eyes closed, and she felt another slap, this time much harder.

"Elixean, you have to listen to me," Zexion snarled. "There's something inside you trying to do something to your head. I need you to fight it. You understand me?"

She didn't reply, and her eyes went blank.

Xemnas grabbed Zexion's hood and yanked him backwards. "Go get Vexen. _Now_."

Zexion nodded quickly and raced off without another word, shooting a frightened glance at Elixean before he disappeared.

Elixean closed her eyes again, but she didn't sleep. She could see what was inside her head. It was a thing. A person.

_Who are you?_ she thought. It was almost like speaking into the halls of Castle Oblivion where Elixean was in her mind. She had no idea where it was. The presence stared back at her for a long while before it decided to answer.

_Who I am does not matter at the time, Elixean. Just know that I need you in order to get rid of the Organization._

_But how?_ Elixean replied uncertainly. _I have no power. The bracelets nullify anything I try to use._

_So don't try to use it_, the voice answered simply. _Just do it._

Elixean sighed inwardly. _It isn't that easy. Who are you?_

_I told you, who I am is of no importance. Just be ready to face the darkness._

Elixean's eyes shot wide, and she screamed aloud, leaning forward on the edge of her bed, "Wh-what do you mean?!"

Xemnas stared blankly at her, shocked a bit by her outburst, and in the same instant Vexen appeared with Zexion trailing him. Vexen kneeled by the edge of the bed, staring into Elixean's eyes. The darkness that had earlier clouded them had left, and her mind began to clear. Vexen's eyebrows furrowed.

"I can't see anything wrong with her," Vexen explained in a perplexed tone. "She's fine."

"She is _not_ fine!" Xemnas hissed. "The fumes from the chemicals today must have had a bad reaction in her body."

"Most likely," Zexion agreed.

Vexen frowned. "Well, that's her fault."

Xemnas muttered, "Indeed, but we need her. Find something to make her feel better."

Elixean sat back and waved them off. Breathlessly, she said, "I'm fine… Really." She pulled in a long, heavy breath, and breathed out, shocked to find wispy clouds of shadow emerging from her lips. She snapped her mouth shut, and watched the three stare at her in awe.

Xemnas' eyes narrowed. "I think I know what's wrong with her."

Vexen nodded, and he looked at Zexion. "Take her to Larxene."

Elixean gripped the bed with her fists. "Don't touch me!" she spat hostilely, her eyes glistening. "Don't."

Zexion held his hand out to her, not surprised when she flinched from it. He crouched to her level, his hand still extended, and he said soothingly, "I know what can help you feel better. You aren't fine. There's a shadow inside you that we need to get rid of, and Larxene will help."

"I don't trust Larxene," Elixean replied sharply.

Zexion inched closer to her. "Believe me, Elixean, nobody does." He held his hand out closer to her, insistent. "Please?"

"No!"

In the blink of an eye Zexion had grabbed her hand and pulled her off the bed. She shrieked, fighting against him but not hard enough, and so she bit at his hand. He let go, pulling back quickly with wide eyes, and she fell to the floor, still screaming. Zexion sighed and said, "There's nothing we can do for her, Xemnas. It's too close to her brain to get rid of. We could kill her in the removal process."

Vexen stood by the door, his hand stroking his chin. He murmured, "There is a reason why it chose her, my friends." The two men stared at Vexen, and he continued, "If we let it stay then we may find out its intentions."

"Is that safe?" Zexion queried uneasily.

Vexen sighed. "There's nothing we can do, like you said. The best we can do is leave the lights on."

Zexion looked at Xemnas, waiting for instruction. The Superior stood with his eyes narrowed thoughtfully, silent as usual. Then he nodded. "If that's the best we can do." He looked at Zexion. "You need to stay in here with her tonight, to watch her."

In a voice not her own, Elixean, still lying on the floor, lifted her head and sang, "I missed my training today, Xemmy. Where's your punishment now?" She giggled, and let her head fall back onto the floor. "Oh, I know. You're going to make me go crazy. That sounds good." She giggled again, even though tears were steaming down her face.

"She's losing her mind," Vexen snickered. "Not that she ever had one."

Elixean's voice, now weak and frail, whimpered, "Take it back. I take back what I said. Please get out of my head…"

Zexion swallowed and shifted away from her. "I'm, uh, not sure I want to be in here with her."

Vexen nodded, and he added, "It isn't wise. Zexion is bound to doze off, and what may happen while he's asleep…" Vexen shuddered at the thought, whatever it had been.

Xemnas hesitated, and then nodded. "But I wish we didn't have to leave her alone."

"We can leave a few Dusks." Zexion's suggestion seemed reasonable.

"I suppose," Xemnas agreed. Then he turned and left the room. "Lock it up tight when you leave. We can't let it out."

"Oh, so what, I'm an _it_ now?!" Elixean demanded, though her lips barely moved when she spoke. She was exhausted. She wanted to sleep. But with all these people in here staring at her, she couldn't even close her eyes.

Zexion came to crouch beside her, but she recoiled and blocked her face. He hesitated before he grabbed her arm, heaving her up onto the bed. "We're leaving you in here tonight, Elixean. If you need us…"

She hissed, "I don't need any of you. Leave me alone!"

Zexion raised his hands in a gesture of peace, and he backed away, shoving Vexen out the door as well. "We'll check on you tomorrow." And then she was left alone.

Elixean's chest was heaving as she sat on the bed, and she stared out into nothing. She hugged her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees, shivering. She wasn't cold, she was scared. Deathly afraid. She began to speak to the darkness in her room.

"Who are you? I won't do what you want 'til you tell me."

For a moment there was silence, and Elixean clenched her fists. She knew it was there…

"I'm merely a shadow, Elixean," the voice replied. "Darkness itself, I suppose you could say. And until my master says otherwise, I am to stay with you. I hope you don't mind."

Elixean retorted sharply, "Of course I mind! You were messing with my head! You freaking possessed me!"

She could feel it shrug. "I needed them gone, and it seemed a fine way to do it." It took a breath. "Elixean, I am guarding something very precious."

"Oh, let me guess, my heart?" she muttered.

"In a sense of the word, yes, Elixean. I will explain in time, but for now you must continue with daily life. I will be inside your head watching, and I will help when I find it necessary."

"Great." And then sleep overtook her.


End file.
